Blue Side of the Moon
by Ravyn
Summary: When police hunt to execute magekind and Yakuza offer a deadly refuge, Kamiya Kaoru finds herself caught up in a game she barely understands. A game with few rules, too many consequences and a man darker than any she has ever met.
1. Chapter 1

Well. I suppose I should apologize for not having _Little One_ posted yet. However, the next chapter (after much kicking and screaming) if finally coming along! The hope is to have the thing finished before I graduate!

This story is finished, but there might be some time between updates as school and editing and making triple sure the chapters are where I want them before I post. My beta readers are very poor people who get shot very large chapters. They do a very good with what I give them, however.

Thanks go to Ginny for beta-reading this one for me!

Ravyn

**Warning: This fic is violent. Very violent. With lots of swearing. (Again, something new!... something shiny, something blue… err…) Anyway, there isn't any smex, but there is something tasty lime. If any of this doesn't suite you, please do not read.**

Disclaimer: RK not mine.

**Revised 3/5/10

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The scenery flew by. Paying the price for the Nozomi train had eaten up most of her emergency cash and what she had left in her pocket was going to have to be enough. Pressing her fingers into her eyes, she worked to control her emotions. She _knew_ two hours wasn't enough time for them to track her… and she had a head start. Closing her eyes, she took a slow breath and then reached for her bag as the train started its lurching stop. The duffle bag was heavy, weighed down with her bokken, a few changes of clothing and the black binders she kept the dojo's papers in. It was a gamble bringing those with her – but there was always the chance that one day she might be able to get it back. The laws might not change in her lifetime but maybe…

She needed to disappear.

Old Kyoto was best for that. Too many people, too much technology in new Kyoto… too many suspicious eyes that wanted to find something, _anything_. Adjusting her Hanshin Tigers baseball cap, she moved down the aisle. First thing was first, get off the train. It was a physical strain to keep her walk slow, to keep from running. The first time she saw a police officer she flinched, biting her tongue hard enough to taste blood. Checking her watch, checking to see how badly she was shaking, she took another deep breath. Noon. Almost five hours had passed then.

The morning had started off normal. She woke up, crawled to the coffee pot, showered and then set about doing her morning warm ups before her usual run. It was after she had locked the gate behind her that she had seen the mark. Dark, bold lines in black paint her brain had refused to process what she was seeing.

Mage mark.

It had been near thirty years since the laws had been put into place to 'protect' the public. Laws that demanded that any magic user be immediately imprisoned an iron lined cell, that their lands and bank accounts be reabsorbed into the government. Just being accused was enough to freeze accounts until you were cleared. There were fines for false accusations of course, but so few were actually paid. _Better safe than sorry_, the public told itself.

Staring at the mark, it didn't take her long to figure out who had painted it. What the threat was supposed to mean. Hiruma Gohei had wanted nothing but her dojo. His style was weak and his teaching methods worse. He had needed an established dojo to gain some sort of credence. When she had refused to sell, he had made pointed threats. She had never thought him capable of naming her mage and she doubted he knew the truth behind it. He was simply attempting to scare her into selling – he would have shown up with the police and promised to make the mage talk go away.

Except she _was_ a mage. Not a good one, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter if her skills were limited in scope and power. If all she could do was clean up minor bloodstains and keep her house free of sweat and dust. Her only chance now was to disappear.

She needed to get to Sano.

His last letter was burning a hole in her back pocket. She had been careful, always so careful to burn everything he sent her but this one was new, she had just opened it yesterday. He couldn't have changed locations so quickly and if he had, perhaps someone would know where he had disappeared to.

'Pull yourself together, Kamiya,' she scolded herself. 'Act normal. You just got off the train and its noon. Find something to eat and pretend you're not in a hurry. You're not being hunted.'

She had to choke down lunch; it lodged in her throat and was difficult to swallow. She didn't have the yen for a real lunch, instead hitting up a dango stand. The sweat bean paste wasn't the best choice, but she forced herself to chew. The unsweetened tea helped. It didn't take long to finish her meal and she didn't linger deliberately.

Old Kyoto wasn't difficult to find. You simply jumped on a bus to the bridges and crossed over. There was too much business that passed between the communities of old and new to close down the bridges. The yakuza had a firmer hold here in the old world than in Tokyo and they kept the wheels greased. It was just the mages who slipped between who had to be careful. If you were caught practicing or even being accused in new Kyoto, then there wasn't anything the yakuza would do for you.

Worried about the possibility of tails, she lost herself in the alleys and brothels. Her feet hurt and her calves and shoulders _ached_ by the time she finally sorted out where she was. It was light outside, but was getting darker the longer she walked about. It had been too long since she sat down and she was nearing exhaustion – mentally and emotionally. Digging out the worn envelope she tried to decipher the scrawl that Sano called writing.

It took her another hour to find the place. She didn't dare ask someone for directions. Not here. By the time she arrived at the shoddy apartment complex near the edges of old Kyoto, she had only a few yen left. Her nerves were strained to the breaking point and if she didn't find somewhere to sit down soon she was going to end up crying. Taking a deep, calming breath she moved up the stairs, looking for his number. If all else failed, she could pawn the bokken and some of her clothes for cash and maybe find a place to stay for the night.

'Cross that bridge when you get there.'

The apartment number had been broken off at some point and the shades were pulled shut. Biting her sore lip, she knocked anyway. The sound of someone swearing following by a low, deep voice she didn't think was familiar came through the cracks in the door. Kaoru rubbed her damp palms along her thighs nervously. The door opened enough so that she could see the face of a young teenage boy, with a messy head of dark hair and a suspicious expression.

"What do ya want?"

"I'm looking for Sano," she said carefully. There was a blatant dislike in his eyes that strained her already emotional temper. He scowled at her and she bit her cheek.

"Who's at the door?" Sano's voice called from inside the apartment. Relief blossomed in her chest and she almost staggered.

"Some broad."

Her eyes snapped back to the boy.

"Excuse me?"

"We're not giving charity," the boy continued. "I don't know who gave you our name, but try next door."

The seams of his shirt strained as she fisted her hand in his clothing. She wasn't tall, but neither was he. Her muscles burned from the misuse of the day, but the startled expression on his face as she lifted him onto his toes was worth it.

"Listen close. I've had a really bad day. If you call me a broad again, I'll toss you down the stairs. You don't know me enough to disrespect me and I don't take charity. Now, _where is_ _Sano_?"

The words were ground out between gritted teeth and brown eyes widened. He opened his mouth, possibly to spew out profanities, when Sano's voice cut through the conversation.

"Jou-chan? What are you doing _here_?"

Lifting her eyes from the face in front her, her knees and fingers went weak at the sight of her friend. His expression was flummoxed and she was hard pressed not to fling herself at him.

"It's a really long story and I just want to sit _down_."

On the word down, her voice visibly cracked and Sano blanched.

"Dammit, Yahiko let her in. No, get her bag and I'll clear a space off the couch." Sano instructed, cutting Yahiko off when he opened his mouth. "_Now_."

Sighing heavily, the teenager stepped aside and then reached over for her bag. A soft grunt of surprise followed her into the room as she walked towards the couch. She didn't wait for him to move the rest of the dirty magazines before falling onto it, head resting in her hands as she struggled with the sudden emotional upheaval.

"Jou-chan, you were the last person I expected to see. What are you doing _here_? Shouldn't you be beating the heads of pathetic teenagers who don't know how to properly swing a bokken?"

Taking several deep breaths, she finally spoke, fingers muffling her words.

"There was a mage mark on my door this morning."

Sano swore. The boy cocked a brow at her, clearly unimpressed.

"Running didn't help things," Sano said finally, "I think I have enough favors to clear this up, but it might take a few days."

Kaoru just watched him, lips pressed together.

Sano paused, his weight sinking back into the couch. "You're a mage?"

She nodded. The boy looked slightly more interested and Kaoru ignored him.

"I'm sorry I didn't mention it before now," she said. "I'm not a very good magic user, I can only handle minor clean ups."

"Clean ups?"

"I owned a dojo, Sano." She said tiredly. "You start to notice when blood and sweat start disappearing while you're cleaning the other side of the floor."

Sano licked his lips. "That's how we always managed to not get into trouble with your dad."

She nodded wearily, reaching up to rub her temples with one hand. "I'm not all that strong, so I was hoping to keep it under wraps. I didn't tell you because… well, I didn't know how."

Sano shrugged and his eyes were worried. "Do you know who would have accused you?"

"A man who wanted the dojo. I wouldn't sell."

Sano ran both hands through his hair. "This is going to be a little more complicated. If you're going to stay here, you're going to need new papers and a job. Mages don't stay unemployed for long, but you're not going to want to get in with one of the smaller groups."

Yahiko leaned back, his expression set into bored lines again. "You could always talk to Misao. She always seems to know where there are jobs available."

"What can you do?"

Kaoru frowned. "Basic magic only… I can clean up blood on my floor if it's small and I never have to worry about anything smelling like sweat or teenage boys. Once, I had a kid break his nose. I couldn't do anything about that stain. I had to replace the boards. I assume I can deal with fingerprints, but I only know what I could pick up on Internet café's."

"Internet café's? Anything you learned on those things is probably a load of shit." Yahiko groused.

"Then you won't mind if she borrows your books." Sano said flatly.

Yahiko said up, his eyes flashing. "What?"

"Huh?"

"Kid's a witch." Sano said. "His might not do you much good, but it's something."

"Witch?" Kaoru repeated.

Yahiko bristled. "You have a problem with something?"

"I'm starting to get real tired of your attitude." Kaoru warned.

"What are you planning on doing about it?" Yahiko returned.

"Not tonight." Sano said firmly.

"Why, afraid I might hurt her?" Yahiko challenged, jaw set.

"No," Sano returned as he stood, motioning Kaoru to follow. "I have the utmost confidence that she'll wipe the floor with your ungrateful ass."

Yahiko's eyes narrowed.

Kaoru struggled with her temper. Odds were she was being overly sensitive right now. Still, there was just something about Yahiko that made her want to beat him senseless. Taking a deep breath, she tried to center herself. This wasn't the time to work out her temper. She needed to lie down and possibly cry; then start dealing with her problem.

"Come on Jou-chan," Sano said. "We'll change my sheets and you can take a nap, alright?"

Kaoru nodded, walking over to her bag and picking it up. She ignored Yahiko's slightly hostile glance. She would deal with that once she was thinking properly. Just not now.

X

"This was not how I planned how to spend my first night in old Kyoto." Kaoru informed Sano, desperately trying to stifle a yawn behind her hand. "Please tell me we are going somewhere that has coffee."

"There's coffee."

Yahiko made a noise. "With all the drunks? It's like watered tar."

Sano shot a look over his shoulder. "They keep a good pot for the other customers. Besides, it's old Kyoto. What else were you planning on doing?"

"Sleeping," Kaoru said crossly. "On a flat surface, instead of when I was walking."

"At least you're _fed_."

"Honey-butter toast and a can of fried beans isn't a proper meal even by my standards." She growled under her breath as she was dragged into the side of a building. It looked old, something leftover from one of the revolutions, but inside was un-expectantly modern.

"Booth. Now." Sano gave her a long suffering sigh, but cleared a table of drunks with little more than a few words. Well, there might have been more involved but she was too tired to care.

"Man, you're a bit of a bitch, aren't you?" Yahiko questioned as he slid in front of her.

"Why did Sano make me leave behind my bokken again?"

"Why, imagining busting my head in?"

"There are so many _other_ bones to break, why would I start with your skull?" Kaoru snapped before reaching up to cover her eyes with her palms. Coffee. Maybe something with meat, but mostly coffee.

"Here." Sano said, shoving a mug of something dark and steaming under her nose. "This should keep you human enough that we don't have to start peeling bodies off the roof."

"I don't splatter people," Kaoru mumbled, "Too messy."

"Just keep your head down, all right? You haven't been picked up yet, so that makes you fair game. Yahiko, try to keep her out of trouble."

"Whatever." The teenager answered, but it was clear he wasn't paying attention to anything he was saying or anything anyone else was saying. Kaoru sighed. She could already tell he was going to be a walking headache.

Sano nodded and disappeared. Picking up her mug, Kaoru studied the liquid in consideration and finally took a sip. Her taste buds might have just died, but it was hot.

So she took a second sip.

"I can't believe you're drinking that. Sano picked it out, so they probably thought he had been drinking."

"Tastes like hospital coffee." Kaoru muttered, "Toilet water with ink."

"Sounds about right," there was hesitation. "How much time have you spent in hospitals?"

"More than I wanted to." She returned.

Those brown eyes studied her and then he snorted.

"Right," his eyes danced around away from the table and then lit up. "I'll be back."

Kaoru sighed. She didn't mind sitting alone with watered ink, but she really wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone else. Reaching up to cover her eyes, she curled her free hand around her cup. What she really wanted was to do this _later_.

_'We can't wait too long to introduce you. Might as well go and make contact with Misao tonight. If the police in Tokyo are looking for you, the first place there going to put out word is going to be here. You need to be up in your neck in mob cover when that happens.' _

Didn't mean she had to like it. In fact, she had thrown one of the only working lamps at Sano's head when he had woke her up and demanded that she get moving. The sound of something clicking on the table startled her into peeking between her fingers. Eyes the color of her neighbor's violets stared at her from under shaggy, dark red bangs.

"You shouldn't be drinking that."

Lowering her hand, she gave him a baleful glare. "What?"

He tapped a finger next to her cup, the motion smooth and easy. "That. It's not real coffee."

"I wasn't aware it was advertised as such." She responded, not bothering to hide her mood. He didn't take the obvious hint, just watched her before the edges around his eyes deepened into what might have been a smile.

"You look hungry."

She studied him, wondering if it was possible to kill someone by strangling him with his own braid. She was pretty sure that there had been a poem about it that she had read in high school; she just couldn't remember all the details.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Take it as a no."

This time the edges of his mouth curved. Instead of saying anything else, he stole her coffee cup and disappeared – moved with cat grace and quickness you had to be born with. Half a step into the crowd and she was alone again. Sighing, she hoped Sano hadn't paid too much for that mug of coffee; she buried her head into her palms again.

This time the clinking noise came with the smell of bread and meat. Instead of a redhead, there was a soft-eyed woman with a smile and a wave. A fresh cup of coffee that smelled delicious and several rolls stuffed with meat and cheese sat in front of her. She hesitated, because she didn't really want to encourage someone by accident. Chewing on her lip, she debated for half a second before picking her mug up and taking a sip. The hot coffee was obviously fresh and it woke up her appetite. Surely, she had made it clear that she wasn't interested?

By the time Sano showed back up, dragging an annoyed Yahiko by the collar, her dinner crumbs had been cleared and her mug had been topped off. Shoving Yahiko into the booth, he slid in.

"Well, I talked to Misao."

"And?"

"They have an opening. It's all lower level work, but the salary is good. She said she would come by with the contract tomorrow and the name of a few lawyers if you want someone to explain things."

"I'm supposed to trust one of their lawyers?"

"Well, they're the only ones who deal with us. Besides, the Oniwabanshu like to keep up appearances and they try to treat us fair. If we run, they're going to have to find and kill us and then they're out however much they sunk into us."

"I'm sure that sentence will make sense in the morning when I've had eight hours of sleep." She muttered.

"Means they don't screw us over like other places; are you sure you're _not_ stupid?" Yahiko drawled.

"I thought I told you to stop picking on her tonight." Sano warned.

"I said I would _think_ about it." Yahiko returned. "I did and I decided she is an easy target."

Sano sighed. "I'm not patching you up."

Kaoru felt much better after having eaten and decided to let this one slide.

"Can we head out now?"

Sano nodded.

"Yeah. Yahiko, you're on the couch tonight."

"Figured."

Sighing, Kaoru followed them out of the bar. She didn't bother to check to see if she could see the redhead before she left. It was doubtful in this crowd that she would and she wasn't interested in speaking to him again. A glance back could have been interpreted in many ways she wasn't interested in giving.

X

Working for the yakuza was easy. Getting out was supposed to be harder. The Oniwabanshu wasn't technically a yakuza group, acting more as an agency that contracted individuals and then sold those services. Misao was a small boned, bouncy woman whose eyes missed little. She made up for her size in sheer presence and a braid that fell to her knees.

The contract Misao had brought was basic. She had adjusted it in a few places when Kaoru had given her a few details on what she could do and then settled in with Yahiko to play video games. Sano had ordered pizza and beer and it was turning into a strange, sitcom-y moment. Not feeling any pressure to hurry, Kaoru had been careful to read every line. It took some time to work through the twenty-page document and by the time she felt that she understood everything enough to sign, the sun had set. Yahiko was clearly fed up with the affair. She thought his poor attitude might have come from his poor winning record against Misao.

"Will you just sign already?" He snapped, throwing the controller as Misao beat him yet again.

"Nothing wrong with being cautious," Misao said with a smile.

Kaoru shrugged. "I signed five minutes ago; I just didn't want to interrupt the game."

Sano grunted something from his place on the couch.

"Well," Misao said jumping to her feet. "I should be taking that back in to be filed. Someone will bring by your first assignment in the next week or so. Salary won't start until you have completed at least one mission."

Kaoru nodded.

"Have a nice night and try not to burn the place down, brat."

"Bitch."

The door shut with a bang behind the whirlwind.

"Man, you best be careful with who you fling those names around," Sano warned. "Her boyfriend has a reputation as a hard ass.

Yahiko just shrugged and turned back to his game.

Kaoru stood up. She needed to work out some kinks. Considering the layout of the room, she tilted her head at Sano.

"Do you think we can rearrange the furniture?"

He sighed before pushing himself up. Yahiko ignored them both as they heaved the couch and chairs up against the wall, giving her enough space to wave her bokken around without smashing it through a wall. She was going to be limited to basic kata as it was.

"We're going to have to get you something a little heavier for when you're on the streets." Sano muttered.

"Why? I'm just going to be cleaning out rooms and covering tracks," Kaoru said as she tightened her ponytail. "I can't think of a reason why I would need anything more than that."

Sano sighed. "At least let me take it to a friend to get some spells worked into the wood."

"Maybe."

Yahiko turned and frowned. "What are you doing?"

"Practicing," Kaoru said with a shrug. Picking up her bokken, she closed her eyes and let herself slip into her stance.

"You know kendo?"

She cracked an eye open. "I used to teach it."

His expression was doubtful. "Any good?"

"She'll kick your ass if you don't leave her alone," Sano warned, flopping back onto the couch. "Never get between a girl and her practice. It hurts the next day."

Yahiko snorted, but kept his mouth shut. Kaoru was grateful. She needed to work out, not beat the living daylights out of someone. Moving slowly, she worked through the first three stages of Kamiya Kasshin before picking up the speed until she could hear the wood humming in her hand. She didn't dare go through the motions for the upper kata; she could put herself through a wall in this space. She didn't stop moving until her shoulders and wrists burned, and she was panting hard. Slowly working through a few simple strokes, she allowed herself to cool off before she went to repack her bokken.

She glanced at Yahiko out of the corner of her eyes and found him watching her with a newly interested expression. Figured the kid would show interest in sword skills if nothing else.

"I don't teach to kill." She told him, yanking the zipper of her bag closed. She really needed to find some place to store her gear.

"I'm a witch," he scowled. "If I kill intentionally, I lose my power."

Kaoru frowned. "I didn't know that."

"There are a lot of things you don't know," he pointed out, rolling his eyes.

"I _never said_ that I didn't have things to learn," she returned, her own eyes narrowing.

"Oh boy," Sano muttered. "Here we go."

"You know," she said mildly, ignoring Sano. "I could understand being suspicious of me yesterday. I was new, you didn't know anything about me and I was crashing into your space. Everyone likes to have space. What I don't understand is your attitude _today_."

He shrugged. "There isn't any rule that says I have to like you."

"Of course not," she returned. "I _would_ like to know what pissed you off."

Brown eyes narrowed. "You're a mage."

"Not a very good one."

"Doesn't matter," he returned. "Mage's and witches don't like each other."

"Why?"

He snorted. "You really are stupid."

'Physical violence will not solve this, Kamiya. Do not lose your temper.' Taking a deep breath, she considered the sulky teen.

"Alright, I'll make you a deal."

His shoulders tightened, clearly expecting _something_. She just wished she knew what.

"You can't kill, I don't _like_ killing. My sword style is built around the principle of not having to kill. It's defensive. There is only one move made to kill and you won't be learning that one."

His pupils dilated. "Won't be learning?"

"You are interested in swords, are you not?" She asked hand on hip.

His jaw worked for a moment, before he gave a sharp nod.

"Then I'll teach you. With conditions."

He tried to hide his interest by narrowing his eyes.

"Conditions?"

"I won't tolerate disrespect. I have to be able to trust you to use this sword style wisely. Kamiya Kasshin is a family style, so you won't be learning any of the succession techniques and I take teaching it very seriously. I won't baby you and if I find out you have used anything I teach you to deliberately harm someone innocent or out of anger, I'll break your hand so you can't use a bokken again."

He frowned at her. "I'm not a coward."

"I know." She responded. "But strength is only good when you know how to use it."

"What do _I_ get out of our deal?" He growled.

"Besides learning how to defend yourself?" Kaoru asked.

Yahiko crossed his arms. "Yes."

"Sano said you have books."

"He already said you could use them." Yahiko responded, eyes resentful.

"I'm not using them without your permission." She took a deep breath. "We could do an exchange. I teach you a lesson and you answer a few of my questions."

Brown eyes studied her for a long moment before he shrugged. "Whatever."

A pillow missile hit him in the back of the head.

"What the hell was that for, Rooster-head?"

"Kaoru is good. You won't find someone at her level offering to teach you for this sort of deal, you little idiot."

"She didn't look _that_ impressive." Yahiko ground out.

"That's because she was going over basics. Even I know that," Sano said, flopping backwards.

"You're call." Kaoru said, ignoring the argument between them. "I imagine I'll figure things out eventually, with or without your books. Right now, I'm going to shower."

"What_ever_." Yahiko muttered, but his eyes flickered back to her duffle back.

"We're going out for dinner, so don't take too long." Sano warned.

"Right, right." Kaoru said, sighing. There went her dreams of using up all of the ten minutes of hot water.

X

Kaoru groaned a little as she sucked in air, hands on top of her head. The only relief was that Sano was sucking more air than she was. Bored with waiting for some message from the Oniwabanshu, she had dragged Sano out for a run. Yahiko had been napping and she hadn't wished to deal with the whining.

"Three miles?" Sano gasped out. "You said a short run!"

"It was short," she informed him between breaths. "I usually try to run five every other day."

"Why?"

"Helps with breathing," she admitted. "I needed any advantage in a match. It's not perfect and I used to hate getting up so early, but it helps."

"So why did you drag me out?"

"I need someone to run with me, at least until I get used to the layout." She reminded him, motioning with one hand to start the climb up the stairs to the apartment. "Be glad I don't trust the stairs enough to run _them_."

He gave her a look. "Does this mean I get to drag you to the gym to lift weights?"

She chewed on her lip. "Lifting isn't a bad idea."

He nodded, opening the door and ushering her in. "Just some basic weights for toning," he agreed. "Especially if you decide you need a katana instead of a bokken."

She snorted, shaking her head as she stepped into the apartment. "I'm not interested in live steel."

He sighed

"You're arguing over this again?" Yahiko's voice was gruff with sleep and his stuck all directions as he hefted a spoon to his mouth. The cereal crunched loudly and Kaoru cringed. She knew from experience that the cereal had been stale for a week.

"Man, you used up all the milk," Sano growled as he dug through the fridge.

Yahiko shrugged. He pointed his spoon at a box on the floor. "That came in."

Sano tilted his head and sighed. "Oh, that would be your information, Kaoru."

"Information?" She repeated, tightening her hair band. "About what?"

Yahiko heaved a sigh. "Basic information. Who your agent is, what your rank is, what level of cases you will be working with – who you report to after each assignment so you can get paid. Kid stuff."

One of these days, she was going to take him up to the roof and beat him over the head. Taking a deep breath, she accepted the scissors from Sano and cut the tape. Inside the box was indeed a packet and she pulled it out to start thumbing through it.

"So who's your agent?" Sano questioned, peeling a bruised banana. Kaoru made a face at the fruit before scanning the top sheet.

"You are."

Sano choked and Yahiko made a spluttering noise.

"Hey! He's _mine_!"

"I didn't ask for him," she shot back, eyes narrowing. "It just says that it's Sano."

Sano rubbed his face. "I can see what they're doing."

Yahiko turned around and stared at him. "What?"

"Trying to give me something to do so they can apprentice you off," Sano returned, taking another bite of the fruit. He continued. "Your skills are best taught master to apprentice and I'm no witch."

Yahiko's expression was furious. "I'm not going to be trained with some idiot that makes me do all the work!"

"I take it you've had that happen?" Kaoru tried.

Yahiko's mouth thinned. "Yes."

She nodded, going back to her packet. She couldn't change anything and any question she could ask would be taken wrong. Shaking her head, she flipped to the next page.

"Sano?"

"Yup?"

"What does it mean when it says that punishment for failure is determined by the agent?"

"Oh. _That_. I had forgotten about that."

"Forgotten about what?"

He sighed. "The rules are different for mages than witches. For one thing, mages are harder to punish. A lot of the skills your good at can be sold for hard cash, so sometimes fines don't cut it. A lot of 'em are strong enough that they're harder to hurt so they had to find a way to keep things balanced. So they developed a curse-seal."

Her brow inched upward.

"Hell, Jou-chan, I know better than to do more than fine you. Shit, I don't want to do even that! You'll kick my ass when I'm sleeping!"

"What kind of seal?"

"It's a curse spell," Yahiko said with a sharp smile. "They put a seal on your hand and it works as a curse."

"My _hand_?"

Sano ran his fingers through his hair. "It's supposed to just be a deterrent, but occasionally it is used in the field. Hands and fingertips have millions of nerves, so that's what they decided on. The basic seal doesn't do much 'cause they have to investigate. Marking a mage is a serious thing and no one takes it lightly. After the investigation they make the call if you deserve the full measure of the curse."

"Full measure?"

"Someone once compared it sticking their fingers into a pool of lava and somehow keeping their hand." Yahiko supplied helpfully.

"Anyway," Sano rushed, glaring at Yahiko. "It doesn't happen often. When it does, sometimes it's the mages fault; sometimes it's the clerk who keeps up with the assignments fault. Anyway, murder generally has to be involved for a mage to receive the mark."

"What happens to the office clerk?" Kaoru questioned.

"Depends." Yahiko said with a shrug. "If they torture the mage and find out the office clerk was covering up… they die. If you're going to torture mages, you kill those who magic doesn't have an effect on. Had to balance it."

"Well, enough of this!" Sano said suddenly. "Kaoru is in officially, so you know what this means?"

"Sleep?"

"Her own place?"

"Celebration!"

Kaoru sighed. "Oh goody."

X

Kaoru laughed as she watched Yahiko try to talk to Tsubame, the tips of his ears turning pink. Sano was shaking his head, his beer half empty in front of him.

"You're paying for this." Kaoru informed him, swirling her straw through the dark red of her daiquiri.

"Huh?"

"You. Check. This." She said pointing. "I'm the broke newbie who hasn't gotten a job or a paycheck yet."

"This was your idea!"

She shrugged, leaning over to steal a fry from his plate. "The food was my idea. You're the one who wanted to go out."

He frowned, starring at the food. "You ordered the expensive hamburger."

"Bacon," Kaoru returned with a satisfied smile. "It's three dollars! It's not like I asked for a diamond in my martini."

"You don't like martinis."

"Exactly."

"You're impossible." Sano growled at her, hunching a little as he continued to stare at the food as if it had suddenly turned into his enemy. Snickering, she tossed her legs out of the booth.

"I'm going to the little girl's room. I'll be back." Sano waved his hand, not looking away from his plate. Shaking her head in amusement, she strode across the mostly empty dance floor. Things were still quiet and she was thankful. While this wasn't exactly her idea of a celebratory dinner, but there was something quietly satisfying about grease.

Someone was obviously practicing for that night's shows and the base made her chest hum as she stepped out of the bathroom and dodged someone who was clearly in a hurry. Frowning, she looked at her watch. Barely ten. Surely those who had been here before them hadn't managed to consume enough alcohol that they needed to make emergency dashes already?

"Fake coffee and now grease," the mellow voice was teasing. "Are your eating habits always this healthy?"

She looked up to find herself starring into blue-violet for the second time.

"Stalking is considered rude." She returned, moving to step around him and frowning when he stepped in front of her. "Can I help you with something?"

"It isn't nice to leave someone without a name." He returned with a smile.

"I don't remember you leaving a name last time, red." She sniped back, fighting the urge to tell the people on stage to turn the sound down or rub her chest. His smile showed off the dimple in his left cheek

"Himura Kenshin, all you had to do was ask."

She blew her bangs out of her eyes. "That wasn't an invitation."

He laughed. "I think I am going to like you."

"Wonderful," she muttered, moving to step around him again. Once again, his body seemed to be between her and the path she was going to take, hands shoved in his pockets as he watched.

"All I want is your name," he coaxed, the corner of his mouth curving, "for now."

She chewed on the corner of her lip. "I'll make you a deal."

"I'm all ears," he murmured, eyes laughing.

"I'll tell you my name if you leave me alone."

He made a disapproving noise. "That's not nice."

She scowled. "For tonight, then."

"Such a high price when I have already given you my name," he returned, head tilting. "Names have power, you know."

"So do bargains," she returned, shrugging. "Odds are you can find out my name at any time. Of course," she studied the set of his shoulders and the edges of those eyes. "I don't like _or_ trust you."

He gave a low bow, bangs covering his gaze for a split second before he lifted, "As you wish."

"Very funny," she muttered. "Everyone has seen that movie."

He simply watched her, the edge of his brow tilted. Sighing, she crossed her arms.

"Kamiya," she ground out. "Kamiya Kaoru."

"See," he teased, "that wasn't so hard."

She snorted and stepped around him. This time, he didn't step in her way. Her breath caught in her throat when he repeated her name as she passed – voice low and delighted. She refused to look back to see if he was watching. The stage was getting too loud to bear and she lifted her hand to rub a circle against her chest. Thankfully, when she returned to the booth, Sano was ready to go.

"You paid then?"

"I have a tab."

Kaoru stared at him and he lifted his hands. "Honest. Go ask Tae if you want."

She considered it, knowing her friend's attitude about paying, but then she might have to see the redhead… Himura Kenshin, again. He had agreed to leave her alone, but that didn't mean he couldn't be obvious.

"No, let's just go. The band is giving me a headache."

"That's because they sound like they're dying," Yahiko offered helpfully as he appeared. "Odds they know some zombies?"

"I don't want to think about it," Kaoru groused. "I'm tired."

"Right, right," Yahiko said with an eye roll, "world revolving around you again. How could I forget?"

"One of these days I'm going to be cleaning blood out of the carpet," Sano sighed, following the bickering pair out of the bar.

* * *

_**Please comment!**_


	2. Chapter 2

Well! Here is chapter two! I really appreciate everyone who reviewed to chapter one, and I had the brains cells and the time to respond to everyone, I would! However, accounting a) eating my brain and then b) not giving it back. Then of course when I try to respond I forget who I have responded to.

So my apologies for not getting back to those wonderful reviews!

Ravyn

**Warning: Violence, a little bit of torture.**

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, but some of the concepts are mine.

**Revised 3/5/10

* * *

**

"Now Yahiko," Sano said firmly. "The most important thing to remember about cooking is that you can never allow Kaoru near the seasoning." He ignored the towel that hit him in the back of the head. "Even if she tries to kill you. No touching."

Yahiko frowned, eyes cutting to Kaoru. "But you're letting her chop?"

"Make no mistake," Sano said. "After years of being a designated chopper, she can't screw it up too badly."

"Don't think I won't chop you!" Kaoru warned, "Or at least bits of you."

"_Hey_!"

"Stupid doesn't belong in the gene pool."

"Now that's just mean." Sano held his hand over his heart. "Right here, Jou-chan."

"Or a little lower."

"I think you're both stupid."

"Awe," Sano teased. "We love you too, you little monster!"

"Don't burn the _cabbage_," Kaoru warned. She slid the mushrooms off the cutting board and into the designated bowel. She studied the bowls of sliced beef and chopped onions. "You do remember how to make a proper okonomiyaki, right, Sano?"

"I make the best okonomiyaki this of the river!"

Yahiko rolled his eyes. "_Whatever_."

Kaoru shook her head in amusement and set her knife down. Not looking at the men moving about in the kitchen, she bit her lip. She had debated mentioning her little encounters with the boys and had finally decided that there was just too much she didn't know about old Kyoto to let a stranger bother her like that.

"Who is Himura Kenshin?"

"Oh shit!" Yahiko yelped. Kaoru turned and watched him shake out his hand, his expression pained. "Don't ask questions like that when I have something hot in my hands."

"Like what?"

"Where did you hear that name, Kaoru?" Sano asked, the container of _mayo_ held between his clenched fists.

A little disturbed by their reactions, she moved the knife and cutting board into the sink frowning a little as she starting washing them. She waited until she had cleaned the knife before speaking.

"I met him that first night we went to the bar – when you were tracking down Misao," she said finally. "He approached me again last night."

"What did he want?" Yahiko asked. His eyes were strangely serious.

"He said he just wanted my name."

Yahiko rolled his eyes. "Sure. Like Himura Kenshin asks anyone for their name."

"That's what I said," she muttered.

Sano turned, a brow lifted and beckoned for her to hand him the mushrooms.

"Please tell me you _didn't_."

"Why?"

"Because that's suicidal."

"I'm still breathing," she said with a shrug, her eyes curious. "Who is he, Sano?"

"He works as a liaison between the yakuza and Oniwabanshu. Does mostly low key jobs and handles a lot of the money flow… or that's the rumor. No one really knows a lot about Himura other than he has contacts that are high up the chain."

She nodded. That made sense. The man had acted as if he was used to getting his way. There had been something about his eyes that she couldn't put her finger on, something darker than his overall appearance projected to the public. Shaking her head, she finished washing the dishes while Sano starting grilling.

"It could have been worse," Sano said with a sigh. "You could have insulted Shinomori."

"Who?"

"Misao's supposed boyfriend," Yahiko said with a shrug, his expression settling into familiar lines. "One of the big bosses at the Oniwabanshu?"

She winced.

Yahiko snorted.

"Anyway," Sano said as he flipped one of the round okonomiyaki. "At least you didn't run into Battousai."

Yahiko almost dropped his plate. "Dammit, Sano!"

Sano ignored him. "She needs to know."

"I've heard of Battousai." Kaoru admitted.

"The pet assassin of the Oniwabanshu," Yahiko muttered. "Mage killer. Rumor has it he once worked for the government, strictly black list but changed alliances when they started going after mages."

Her brows tucked together. "Mages were outlawed thirty years ago."

"They didn't start going after the _normal_ people until the rest of us went underground. Apparently, it was one thing to go after scum with magic, but it offended his morals to go after women and kids."

Kaoru blinked in surprise. Who would have thought that Battousai would have a conscience? Maybe he had a wife or someone who had drawn the line for him. Shaking off those thoughts, she continued to clean the dishes, ignoring the sounds of bickering in front of her.

No, Battousai wasn't her problem to think through. Her problem was a redhead far too used to getting his own way. Frowning down at the soapy water, she scrubbed harder. What on earth had she done to catch his attention? She hadn't been anything but grumpy or flat out rude when he was around. Maybe Yahiko was simply exaggerating. He wasn't interested as much as he was bored. Eventually he would find something else and leave her alone. She just had to grit her teeth until then. The sound of someone knocking on the door halted the argument. Frowning, she turned to look for Sano.

"You didn't say anyone was stopping by."

"Probably dropping off your assignment," Sano said, though his tone was weary. "Most of the time they don't bring them by hand."

"How do they bring them?"

"We have a drop off point at the Akabeko," Yahiko muttered. "Tae calls when someone drops by. Better that way. Want me to check?"

"I'll get it." Sano said, moving towards the door. "If I drop dead, run."

Kaoru tensed. Adrenaline hit her system hard as she watched Sano open the door. He bent down and picked something up, but when it didn't burst into flames and he didn't fall over, she was forced to let the breath she was holding out.

"It's addressed to you," Sano said, dropping it onto the table. "They probably keyed it to you somehow, so you better open it. That way one of us doesn't accidentally die."

Frowning, she reached over for the dishtowel to dry her hands off before walking over to the envelope. Opening the spell tag, she winced at the electric zap it gave her.

"Who is Inoue Takehiko?"

Two blank faces stared back at her.

"Sano?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm not going out with you on this case."

Sano frowned. "That's not right. They don't change case officers like that…"

"It might not be anything," Yahiko pointed out.

Sano looked uneasy. "Maybe. Does it give you any more details, Kaoru?"

"Just that I will be working with Inoue-san and that it's a minor clean up job."

"When?

"I'm scheduled to meet him in two hours."

"Well, we better get you fed then."

"Hope she doesn't puke it up."

"Yahiko!"

X

The okonomiyaki was sitting in her stomach like a piece of lead as she waited for her contact to arrive. The address at the bottom of the package had been easy enough to find but it didn't have an apartment number; the building was only a few miles from Sano's. Sano thankfully had enough cash on hand to pay for the taxi ride over to the neighborhood. She was alone, but at least she had her bokken. She shoved her cold hands in her pocket, wondering about the sudden cold snap and studied the building in front of her.

It was rundown and far older than even Sano's apartment building. Supposedly the people inside had been beaten around as a message to their bosses and her job was to simply go in, remove all DNA and leave. The best part was once she finished it, her salary would kick in and they needed the money. Even with Sano and Yahiko's income, she was a strain.

Footsteps startled her out of her thoughts and she spun around, blinking at the sight in front of her. He was taller than she was, but there was a line of fat around his middle that even his well-tailored coat couldn't hide. He had attempted to camouflage his receding hairline with some clever brushing. His head sat oddly on his, short thick neck.

"You are supposed to be in there already." She blinked at the tone of his voice. Thick brows had bunched together over his eyes, showing off deep lines.

"Don't think I'll accept less than perfection. I'll report you if you don't do your job."

"My papers didn't have a room number."

He snorted, but walked in front of her. She ignored his mumblings, wincing as they hit the air-conditioning of the building. She had thought these older builders didn't have any sort of heating or cooling systems. Running her hands up and down her arms for warmth, she marched up the stairs. The room was on the second floor. Inoue-san pulled a card from his pocket, opening the door easily.

"Go. Do your job, mage."

Reminding herself that she needed the money, she stepped into the room. It was like stepping into freezer. Her teeth chattered with the cold, and she had to shove her hands into her pockets to keep them warm. Taking a deep breath, she froze. _Blood_. Not just a little blood, but a lot of it. The air was thick with it and she was terrified to see why. Taking a careful step forward, she froze as her shoe sunk into something… wet.

"Mage."

"Y-Yes?"

"Finish."

The floor shouldn't be squishing. Not with this job. Not in this cold. The longer she stood in the room, the worse she felt. Like something was eating a hole into the back of her skull, boring into her brain and vibrating. The smell of blood and her headache were making her nauseous.

"Is there a light?"

She didn't want to turn on the light, but she could feel herself _straining_ somehow. Somewhere inside her chest, until it felt like a cord would snap. There was a silence and then another disgusted noise. The light flicked on and Kaoru's stomach rolled. On the bed were… bodies. Or what was left of them. Blood was everywhere. Dripping from the ceiling, splashed onto the walls. She looked down and then cried out; stumbling backwards at the sight of the puddle she had been standing in. There were … _fingers_. Covering her mouth, she swallowed violently.

"What _is_ your problem?"

She turned and stared at the man in front of her. He looked unconcerned, as if he couldn't see the… _the_… it was hard to breathe. Placing a hand on her chest, it was so tight; she struggled to find the words. The expression on the man's face was slowly turning red.

"I said, what is your problem?"

She was going to be sick. Not in here. Not with the blood. Ducking around the Inoue-san, she sprinted down the hall, staggering a little on the stairs. She got lucky, making it to the outdoors before her stomach heaved and what she had eaten for dinner came back up.

She felt worse when she was finished. Her head was splitting and every time she closed her eyes, she saw the room. She heard footsteps behind her and stood up shakily, pushing away from her vomit and reaching up to hold her head. The needle sharp pain had disappeared leaving behind a strange sort of thrumming that was beating off rhythm, leaving her unbalanced.

A large hand wrapped around her fingers, sharp nails digging into her palm. She jerked in surprise, gaze lifting upwards to meet furious eyes.

"I do not appreciate being made a fool."

"What?"

"This is your fault. All I asked was for you to perform a simple task. Complaining about it to your friends will not do any good. They will side with me."

Before she could ask _what_ it was he was talking about, fire erupted along her skin. It melted deep, searing into flesh and bone and eating away at her vision. Her ears rang with her own screams. When she came back to herself, she was on her knees, arm curled into her stomach. Her face was wet with tears and she was having a difficult time breathing. Her hand felt like it was smoldering, as if she was still holding a hot coal and couldn't work her fingers enough to drop it. When she managed to blink her vision clear, she pushed herself up a little. The man was gone, and the streets were still empty. Trembling, she climbed to her feet and wobbled as she tried to walk. Every movement made the throbbing in her hand worse. Swallowing the urge to curl into a ball and cry, she staggered down the street.

She didn't know where she was when she finally stopped, leaning against a wall. She had shoved her hand into her pocket, trying to hide it from herself. It wasn't working. Every so often sharp tingles would run up her arm to settle at the base of her skull. It was getting a little easier to push her pain aside. At least she was walking in a straight line now. It wasn't until she had walked far enough to clear the white dots from her eyes that she realized she had lost her bokken. She was too bruised inside to stagger home just yet and she breathed deeply against the stones of the old building.

Blinking in the hope to clear up the last of the spots, she looked around. Even if she didn't wish to return home, she needed to know where she was. Her insides felt odd, the foreign vibration still eating at her balance. Pushing it aside, she blinked when she finally recognized a building.

'The bar. Oh.'

When had she gotten this far over? She started to walk to the bar and stopped. Surely someone in there would recognize _why_ she was staggering like a drunk and she wasn't certain she could deal with those stares. Her emotions were already teetering on the brink and the vibrations in the back of her skull were making it so damn _hard_ to think.

'_This is your own fault you know. Complaining about it to your friends will not do any good. They will side with me.' _

Her bottom lip trembled and she bit it. She would not cry. No. Swallowing hard, she took a deep breath. There was a faint popping noise in her ears and the sounds of the city were suddenly loud. Wincing, she reached up with one hand to cover an ear. Too many people. Turning in the direction she thought would take her to Sano's; she ducked around a pole and started walking.

As she stepped around another blur, fingers reached out and caught her good hand, closing firmly around her wrist bones. Those wrong, horrible vibrations disappeared under a wash of something like heat that thrummed along her spine.

"Kaoru?"

"Himura-san," she mumbled, twisting her wrist in an attempt to pull it away. His grip tightened and she peered up at him through her bangs. His eyes were more blue than violet, narrowed sharply. He _really_ wasn't just a businessman.

"What happened?" He questioned, taking a step to the side so that he was standing directly in front of her.

"I… what makes you…" her words died as something behind his eyes sharpened. She bit the inside of her lip to keep it from trembling under that look. The new warmth of whatever it was rolling down her spine was making it easier to hold everything together, but she felt at the end of her rope. His eyes scanned her face and then he nodded. The next thing she knew, his arm was firmly wrapped around her shoulders, and she was being led across the street into the bar.

The wash of noise, instead of upsetting her even more, helped banish the rest of that foreign sensation and she could breathe. Kenshin didn't stop at the normal booth, but pulled her into a side room she hadn't noticed before. It was filled with soft leather couches and had a fireplace. A desk was tucked into the corner and a wall was filled with ledgers and books. He steered her to one of the couches and set her down.

"Let me see your hand."

Her fingers curled in a fist before she could stop them and her elbow went numb.

"Himura-san," she started and those eyes lifted to her face. Her words died in her throat for the second time that night and she swallowed.

"Your hand, please."

Biting the side of her tongue, she pulled her hand free of her pocket and dropped it into her lap. Her fingers were shaking. There were faint indents from the Inoue's nails. It hurt when he reached over and pressed his fingers into her palm, but not nearly as bad as it had hurt earlier. She had half expected the skin of her hand to be raw and angry, but it looked normal.

"You had an assignment tonight?" He questioned, his thumb rotating across her palm. Sparks danced across her eyes for a moment, but when she blinked them away, her arm felt almost normal.

"Yes."

"What happened?"

She looked away from his face. She wasn't entirely certain why he was asking these questions. She wasn't even sure if she _should_ answer them. Yet… there was a niggling warning in the back of her mind, now that she could _think_, that told her she wasn't going to get a chance to leave until she told him something.

"Tonight was my first assignment." She said finally. "I was supposed to be assigned to Sano, but a package showed up this morning instructing me to go with someone else."

She peaked out of the corner of her eyes and looked away again. She really couldn't handle that gaze right now.

"When I arrived," she swallowed hard. "The assignment was beyond my current capabilities."

"How far above?"

"I can handle finger prints, basic DNA signatures and maybe bodily fluids," she said. Her stomach rolled and she tried not to picture the scene. "The… there _were two_… they had been dismembered."

He nodded slowly and then stood. Walking over to a cabinet, he set a blanket down next to her.

"I'll be right back."

Frowning at the blanket, she wrapped her arms around herself and ignored it. She didn't know how long she sat before the door opened and Kenshin was walking back in, a tray balanced in one hand.

She frowned at him.

"It's just tea," he soothed, answering her unspoken question. "It will help with your hand."

"I need to call Sano."

"Tae is calling him as we speak. I contacted a friend of mine who is looking into the assignment," he continued. "Once we get everything settled Sano can take you home."

"Why are you doing this?" She questioned, ignoring the hand that was offering her a mug of tea. He gave her an exasperated look that didn't have the edge of before.

"Helping?" He questioned. At her nod, the edges of his mouth curved slightly.

"I like you. Does someone really need more than that for a reason, Kaoru?"

"I don't trust you, Himura-san." She told him flatly.

A light burned from behind those eyes, catching the faint yellow flecks around his pupils.

"I can appreciate that. It is one of the reasons why I like you."

"That's ridiculous."

"Either way, I would prefer it if you drank the tea. It will help with your hand and calm your nerves."

She wanted to tell him that her nerves were fine, that _she_ was fine, but lying flat out when he was watching her with that gaze didn't seem entirely wise. Glaring at him for a moment, she gave in and accepted the mug. The tea was hot and slightly bitter, but she could taste the faintest touch of honey.

"Now," Kenshin said, setting the pot back down and sitting next to her instead of in front of her on the floor. She scooted over to give him as much space as possible and she could tell he was amused.

"What rank did they give you when you signed on?"

She stared at him blankly and he tried again. "Level?"

"Two."

He nodded. "The scene you described should have at least a level or rank of eight."

She frowned. "I don't understand."

To hide exactly how uncertain she was, she took another sip of her tea.

"Every clean up has certain standards. If we know someone is going to go in and kill someone in a way that leaves a point, then we do not send in a new agent with only a level two skill." His tone was cool and she nodded. She wondered if he realized how much he was letting slip and if he was aware of how each sentence just confirmed her suspicious that he was a lot more knowledgeable than he let people believe.

"You said Sano was supposed to be the agent assigned to you?"

"Yes." Her tongue felt a little thick as she tried to form the word and she frowned.

"So he is handling both you and the witch?"

Witch… _Yahiko_.

"I think so." Things felt a little fuzzy and she blinked, hard. "Why?"

He shook his head. "Curiosity. Do you know if you left anything behind?" Blinking to bring his face back into focus, she stumbled over the next few words.

"My bokken."

Surprised snaked across his face. It was hard to catch, because everything was starting to blur. Realization hit her, but she couldn't work up panic.

"You drugged me."

Those words were definitely slurred and calloused fingers caught her hands. The cup was taken out of her fingers as she swayed. A moment later, he was holding her shoulders to keep her from falling face first into the floor.

"I did."

"Tha's no fair." She mumbled. The world tilted along the edges and she was settled into the soft leather carefully. The blanket tucked around her.

"Someone is going to come by to look at your hand and removing the curse will hurt." His voice was soft and difficult to focus on. "I'm not sure you can take much more trauma tonight, Kaoru."

"'ano?" The world was a comfortable, warm blur.

"On his way. I promise he will take you home once everything is taken care of." Kenshin voice faded away, leaving the faint sensation of fingers brushing her cheek and then nothing.

X

Kaoru glared at her breakfast. Normally jelly filled donuts made her happy. It wasn't often that she was awake late enough at night to get them when they were fresh, but Sano had woken her half an hour ago. Something about not killing him dead – whatever that was supposed to mean. She wasn't pissed off at him; she was pissed off at the bastard who had drugged her!

"You weren't out for more than ten minutes before I showed up," Sano said finally.

She looked up from her doughnut and glared.

"Idiot." Yahiko mumbled around whatever he had crammed into his mouth. "I knew you were going to do something stupid."

It might have been easier to stomach if she had woken up nauseous or thick tongued, but the only affect that she could tell was a little stiffness from sleeping for nearly a day. She hated having to admit that he had been careful with her. It didn't make her happy. The ass had decided the best way to deal with the situation was to drug her without her consent or anyone who she trusted there. Grinding her teeth together, she continued to glare at her plate.

"Man, Kaoru, you need to give yourself a break. Himura explained the situation. You had a rough night." Sano tried.

"So that excuses the fact that I let him drug me?" She questioned without looking up.

"No, but you should give yourself some leeway. You had to deal with a level eight situation, you were basically tortured and you have only been here for five days. No one adjusts easily. You just had a really bad night."

Even Yahiko stayed silent after that. Sighing, she picked up her breakfast and took a bite.

Raspberry. She didn't know how he remembered it was her favorite.

"Do you know what happened to Inoue-san?" She asked finally, a little mollified by the sweet treat.

"Probably dead somewhere. They don't last long when they make those kinds of mistakes. You don't punish a mage for not being able to perform outside their level. Besides, Himura has clout. Sano said he was pissed." Yahiko shrugged, "Dead and in pieces somewhere."

Kaoru frowned at the teenager. "What do you mean?"

Yahiko looked a little uncomfortable.

"We told you that Himura supposedly hides mobs funds. You don't just get that job without knowing people." Sano sighed. "He owns the Akabeko."

"He owns the _bar_?"

Sano nodded.

"I suppose you're not going to take the suggestion to finding a new bar to hang out with well?"

"Not while Tsubame works there," Yahiko said smugly, arms crossing behind his head. "You're just going to have to deal with it."

Reaching over with her foot, Kaoru yanked on the leg of the chair and watched as he tumbled to the floor. He snarled, glaring up at her once his teeth stopped vibrating.

"What did I tell you about respect?"

"You haven't done anything to earn it!" He snapped.

"Sano, do you think the roof is clear at this time of night?"

"Should be."

"Good." Reaching down, she grabbed Yahiko by the collar and pulled him to his feet, "with me."

"Hey, bitch, what do you think you're – stop hitting me!"

"My name is Kaoru. I'll even accept a nickname that isn't profane. Next time, I'm washing your mouth out with soap."

"You wouldn't even…"

She eyed him. "Try me."

His eyes flashed at her, but he didn't say anything. She figured if he didn't try to throw her off the roof, then she would be lucky. This probably wasn't the best way to deal with this, but it was at least a start.

"I don't have any bokken," Kaoru sad mildly. "But we can certainly get started."

"With what?" His words were cold.

"You're weak." She told him. "You need upper body strength and a solid core to do kendo. That means were going to spend the next week working on your arms and stomach muscles and when I'm satisfied that you can handle the workout, I'll go and get us new bokken."

"You're being serious."

"I bet you can't even do a hundred pushups." Kaoru mocked as they stepped out onto the flat space of the roof.

His eyes narrowed. "I can too."

She shrugged. "Not before I can."

"B—hag."

She sighed. "Well, at least it's not four lettered. Let's go, little boy."

"With _what_?"

"Two hundred pushups should be a good place to start."

He stared at her and she ignored him, settling down to start. Good, clean physical exercise was the best way to work out her frustrations and upsets. Work herself into exhaustion so as not to dream of blood and bodies. She felt a moment of sympathy for how badly Yahiko was going to hurt tomorrow, but buried it. If he wanted to survive with a bokken in his hand, he had to have the strength to wield it.

Yahiko sighed and settled down to start.

Hiding a smile, she counted.

X

Shutting the door, Kenshin breathed deeply. The last of her perfume had disappeared five days ago. The potted Arabian jasmine he had ordered wouldn't be in for another week. Who would have known something as simple as the absence of her perfume would distract him? The edges of his mouth curled. If she knew, she would probably have a few precise, articulate things to say to him. He did love watching the way her eyes darkened with the shift of her moods. Kaoru was adorably grumpy.

He had only seen her once since he had brought her back to his office. She hadn't seen him and it had given him a chance to study her. She had looked tired, lines around her mouth that spoke of strain but she had been laughing at something the teenage witch had said. It had taken more will than he had anticipated stifling the urge to approach, to slip his hands along the smooth curve of her waist and _breathe in_ the scent of her hair. Eyes closed, he savored the mental image and then let it go. Pleasurable fantasies aside, he had work to do tonight. If the past week had been anything to go by, he would have _plenty_ of time to think of her.

He turned to the file sitting on his desk. His mouth tightened in displeasure. Jineh Udo. Moving to his desk, he ran his fingers along the manila file. Six months he had been loose and it had only been reported two weeks ago. Aoshi was looking into the lapse of information, so that wasn't his concern. If anyone was left to kill once Aoshi was through hunting information lines, then he would find out about it. Otherwise, his concern was tracking Jineh.

Patterns in blood. For so many things, Jineh was predictable. He thrived on the hunt, thrived on knowing that he was being hunted in the way so many people thrived on hunting. Jineh wanted to be found by the hunter.

It was just a matter of finding the pieces.

X

Kaoru's opinion on the bikes was unflattering. Sano didn't care for the upkeep of cars. She cared about the upkeep of her skull. The two didn't mix well. At least she wasn't riding behind Yahiko. All of them were wearing helmets. Police officers would stop them for less and the dark face guards on the helmets hid any distinguishing features. The last half dozen 'break-in' missions had gone smoothly and the sites had been closer to the inner ring of old Kyoto.

Right now she was apparently working for the Oniwabanshu exclusively… even Inoue had been a part of the Oniwabanshu at some point. Once she earned what Sano had called enough points, then her services would be sold out. _Expensively_. A level two mage would be bought out more often than not, more affordable if not stronger. She was supposed to be making enough money to pay for her salary and turn over profit two months into the job.

Too many easy assignments in row made her uneasy. The three of them didn't produce enough luck between them to stay out of trouble. The few times they had been assigned to a rougher part of town, they had ended up in fights. She had taken to carrying a knife for added protection after they had started off a turf war. The worse scuffle had required taking Sano to a bone healer (a startlingly attractive woman who seemed to know Sano well, named Megumi) to mend his ribs. That one had started because a gang of mage's with even less power than she had had taken offense to Yahiko.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kaoru muttered to Sano as the bike engine cut. There was a faint light glowing from inside the home and it was… _different_.

"Oh great," Yahiko muttered. "The last time you said that we ended up dodging blood bullets."

Kaoru winced. Not all mages were mob bought and the ones who weren't usually dealt in death magic. Blood bullets were one of those things.

"Well, better safe than sorry." Sano pointed out, running his hands through his hair. "Do you sense anything out of the ordinary?"

Yahiko frowned, eyes going a little unfocused. Because he was a witch, his abilities dealt with earth currents, auras and things that Kaoru just didn't understand. She did know that the temperamental teen was always right about the weather.

"It's clouded."

Kaoru bit her lip. "We can't afford the fine of not completing the job right now."

Sano sighed and nodded. "Well, let's go see what's up there."

In hindsight, things probably could have gone smoother. Sano had insisted on going first, knocking on the door and putting his hands in his pockets. The door had opened and a fist shot out, clipping him in the eye. Sano charged in swinging.

Yahiko ran in right behind him. Swearing herself, Kaoru had stepped in just in time to get hit with something t hat might have been a chair and staggered head first into the wall. Once her vision had cleared, she had picked up her sheathed knife and spun around to find a man coming at her with the chair again. Stepping to the side, she had dodged around him before bringing the covered blade down. The sound of bone crunching was satisfying as both the man and the chair dropped. Things sort of blurred together after that. Yahiko was fighting dirty and with a clothes hanger. There was someone else with a knife, but he was clumsy and easy to disarm.

When she dropped the man in front of her, hilt to his head, it was silent.

"I told you she would wipe the floor with you."

"Shut up."

X

Kaoru slipped into the booth and pressed her hand to her forehead. Yahiko looked wired, his pupils so large she could only see a ring of his normal chocolate brown.

"Sano went to go get ice."

"You're not supposed to put ice on a head wound." Kaoru mumbled.

"Well, he can stick it on his eye then." Yahiko countered practically. "I didn't know you could fight like that."

She lowered her hand and was thankful that her fingers were clean of blood. Running face first into that wall had hurt… even if she was just starting to feel it now that the adrenaline was gone.

"Asshole deserved it." Kaoru said flatly. "So did his buddy. It wasn't my fault that while they were practicing their voodoo spells, they forgot to learn how to duck."

He giggled. Kaoru blinked at him, eyes widening. Time to change the subject.

"I made Sano drag me to a shop downtown while you were sleeping in the other morning. There was a pair of bokken there I would be willing to shell out the coin for."

"I've been doing the stupid work outs," Yahiko admitted.

"I know." She returned. "Kendo isn't just about how many pushups you can do. Think about it and get back to me. Maybe when my skull isn't hurting so badly."

"Most people hit walls with bowling balls, not their skulls." Sano said as he set several mugs on the table. "Tae assures me that this will make your toes numb."

Kaoru studied the clear liquid and winced. "I think I'll just take the egg rolls."

Yahiko snorted.

"Right," Sano muttered. "That's what I told her and she promised she would send the food over as soon as it was cooked."

Kaoru nodded and leaned her head against the wall. Shutting her eyes, she really wished she had even an iota of skill when it came to healing. Thankfully, the bumps and bruises would heal in a week of relaxation.

The sound of a plate clinking against the table brought her out of her half-doze. The normal noises of Sano and Yahiko shoveling food down their throats didn't meet her ears, so she peeled her eyes open. Yahiko was flat against the wall, eyes wide. Standing next to the booth was an all too familiar redhead.

"Oh what do you want _now_?" Kaoru complained. She pinched Sano's thigh when kicked her. She didn't care if he and Yahiko thought Himura was off limits for sarcasm.

"I was hoping to have a word," he returned. A smile curved the edges of his mouth, as if he knew something she didn't. "Alone."

Kaoru hooked her fingers into the pocket of Sano's jeans. Just in case he got any ideas about running.

"I would prefer if they stayed."

Violet eyes sparked with amusement, but instead of ignoring her request, he slid into the booth next to Yahiko.

"Alright."

Frowning at him, Kaoru reached over and snagged one of the small egg rolls and dunked it into the sweet and sour sauce that was Tae's specialty. Yahiko and Sano followed suit, and grabbed their own.

"What happened tonight?" He asked quietly.

"Nothing." Kaoru said flatly, once she had swallowed. She ignored the way Yahiko's eyes widened to almost comical proportions.

He lifted the corner of a brow. "Lying isn't nice, Kaoru."

She shrugged one shoulder. "It is nothing of importance to you, so it's _nothing_, Himura-san."

"Kenshin, Kaoru," he objected. "It's Kenshin."

"I'm more comfortable with Himura." She said stubbornly, picking up her second egg roll. She ignored the way those sparks of laughter had lightened into flat out enjoyment.

"I'll keep that in mind, Kaoru."

She hated the way he said her name; that soft rolling purr that made her toes curl. The man was doing it on purpose. Frustrated, she chewed rapidly, kicking Sano in the ankle. He wasn't being any help. Biting the side of her tongue to keep from saying something she would regret, she made the mistake of meeting his violet was awash with yellow sparks; edges were crinkled in what might have been fond amusement.

"Well," Kenshin said softly. "I'll be seeing you soon."

She picked up an egg roll and took a large bite, glaring mutinously at him as he slipped away from the table. There was something taunting about the way that long, soft looking tail of hair swayed between his shoulder blades.

Sano reached over, picked up one of Tae's special concoctions, and downed it in a dozen deep gulps. He shuddered, the air leaving his lungs in a _whoosh_.

"I don't have balls that big, Jou-chan."

She kept chewing.

X

Kaoru pushed herself up, exhaled and lowered herself back down. Heat from her push-ups burned along her shoulders, but it was a good kind of burn. They were out of coffee. Until Sano came back with the canister, she needed something to wake her up after the disaster that had been last night. At least the job had been easy enough. Just a fast swipe of finger prints in the room and they were done.

It was the small chase down several back alleys that smelled like splattered bodies, the horrible crack of bullets chasing them that bothered her. Sano had been on the phone most of the morning, yelling about clearance and safe zones. One of these days he was going to get the point across that the neighborhood equaled blood bullets.

One of these days, they were going to have clearance to fight back against that particular gang. Last night was the first time they had seen something other than a company job in weeks. Since the night she had seen the redhead after the fight. She was starting to pick up on a pattern.

Lowering herself back to the floor, she lifted her head and stared at the door. The knock came again, this time a bit louder. Sano had a key and didn't have enough cash in his wallet to buy the necessary groceries it would have taken to ask for help. Shoving long, sweaty bangs out of her eyes, she pushed to her feet. Her palms itched from the carpet and she rubbed them down her thighs before peering through the peephole.

She didn't recognize the men standing outside the door. That wasn't unexpected, as the only time she meet new people was at the Akabeko. It was hard to do even that with Himura glaring from some dark corner. The rest of her time was spent on the job. It wasn't exhausting work, but there never seemed to be an end in sight, either. Making sure the spelled chain (they had money for spells, but not for ice cream…) was firmly in place, she opened the door a crack.

"Can I help you?"

Cool blue eyes flickered to the chain and back to her face. "Kamiya-san?"

"Yes?"

"I'm with the Oniwabanshu," he said calmly. "I have some questions for you."

"Do you have any identification?" She wasn't sure they _had_ identification. Still, she wasn't about to let a strange man who smelled like mint and blood into her home without some sort of proof. If he was here to kill her, it was likely he would win, but at least she could say in the afterlife she was smart about it.

His eyes lightened a shade in color. Maybe that was his version of an expression? Long fingered hand sliding into his pocket, he pulled out a rolled document and handed it through the door. It was probably too cliché to hope they had badges. The paper smelled like old magic and it fairly tingled in her hands. Sano had showed her once the symbol that marked the Oniwabanshu, along with some crude words about tattoos. What he didn't say was that the symbol on paper seemed to move across the parchment so that it was hard to look at. In other words, damn difficult to fake; handing it back to him, she cleared her fingerprints even as she shut the door to remove the chain to let him in.

"How may I help you …" she let the name trail off, wondering if it was rude to expect a name and deciding she didn't care. Two months was not enough time to get used to the protocol that was the underground world.

"Shinomori," He said, moving by her so the ends of his white trench coat snapped against her calves. Kaoru blinked in surprise and tried to remember where she had heard that name before.

"I've recently read the report submitted to our department about the incident two months ago." He said, turning to face her. Those eyes of his were flat again and she clasped her hands behind her back so that he wouldn't see her knuckles turn white with strain. She felt sick. There was an edge to his voice.

"Okay."

"In the report you mentioned how the room vibrated." The sound of Sano walking opening the door startled her. Her knuckles popped with pressure. "Elaborate."

"Do you know _how fucking hard_ it is to find good coffee…" Sano's words died. Kaoru didn't turn around, not needing to see the expression that was crossing his face to know his reaction. The handful of words that threatened to turn the air blue were enough for that. Biting her lip, her eyes swung to Shinomori's face. He was staring at Sano with cold eyes and the man stomped into the kitchen.

"I'll make coffee."

"Kamiya-san?"

She licked her lips. "Can we sit down for this?"

He tilted his head before moving to take the recliner. She settled into the couch, picked up a pillow and dropped it into her lap. It wasn't much of a shield, but it made her feel better.

"What do you want to know, Shinomori-san?" It was almost as unnerving to have him stare at her as it was to have Himura. Shinomori was doing his job. Himura's eyes were not even remotely interested in business.

"You said the room pulsed?"

She nodded, working to keep her hands still. "Yes."

"How?"

She frowned, trying to find a way to describe it. That vibrating, thrumming sensation that had started behind her eyes and worked their way through her scalp and down her brain, making her feel sick. Like wrapping her hand around a soft electric current and feeling the buzz go down her arm, but in a pattern that was jagged and broken, upsetting her internal balance. Hesitantly, and with stops and pauses, she described the room.

When she was finished, he stared at her for a long time before he gave a single, sharp nod. Before she could ask him what that meant, Sano walked into her line of sight and handed her a large mug of coffee. Accepting the brew with relief, maybe now the buzzing behind her eyes would stop, she sipped the hot brew slowly.

"What do you want, Shinomori?" Sano asked quietly. "You don't normally bother cleaners."

"She is a huntsman, Sanosuke."

Kaoru paused when she felt the muscles in Sano's body tighten up. Looking away from the mug of life giving liquid, she turned a little.

"Sano?"

"That's not possible," Sano said flatly. "Huntsmen die young."

"Not all," Shinomori said coolly. "Or she wouldn't be sitting here."

"I'm sorry," Kaoru interrupted. "What?"

"Huntsmen," Sano said tensely, "Men and woman who can track a mage down to a foot of their location after 'reading' a spell. Most of their abilities are urban myth. Rumor has it they die young or are killed young. Mage's don't want that sort of tracking ability to make it to puberty."

"What Sanosuke is attempting to say," Aoshi explained mildly, "is that they are murdered. Most mage's operate on some level of illusion or see-me-not spells. Huntsmen can see through those, and sometimes are not even aware that they are doing so."

"Oh," Kaoru said. She took another sip of her coffee. "I can't do that."

"Not yet," Shinomori agreed. "But you will."

Sano sat up a little a straighter. "She told you that she couldn't do it."

Those blue eyes darkened a little. The faint buzzing suddenly burned cold down her scalp and she winced, reaching up to touch on temple and tightening her hold on her mug with the other. It hadn't moved down her spine into her chest yet and the pattern was subtle, but it was still uncomfortable.

"Kaoru?"

"I'm fine." She said softly, frowning at Shinomori. "What did you do?"

He studied her, "Proved my theory."

Kaoru slowly shook her head. "I just don't think what you are saying is possible."

"Then how did you know it was Jineh?"

Sano cursed.

"Who?"

"Then man who killed the men you walked in on." Shinomori said calmly. "You saw through the illusions to the blood, to the bodies. We did not."

There was a faint twitch under his left eye that told Kaoru he was unhappy about that. She wondered if things were as stable in the Oniwabanshu as they were letting people believe.

"What does that mean?" Kaoru questioned, fingers clenching around her mug.

"It means you will receive a pay raise and an apartment upgrade." Shinomori said. "We need to keep you under better supervision so someone doesn't decide that you are an easy target. You will be reassigned to a new partner who has the skills necessary to protect you and dispatch the mages who you will be helping us track."

She felt sick. "I didn't sign on to kill people."

"You have the power to track killers, Kamiya-san, not to kill them."

"Same thing," Sano snapped. "You know it."

Shinomori stood and leveled them with a look. "Be it as it may, she has signed a ten year contract with us. She may break the contract if she chooses…" Kaoru blanched at the memory of the spells tied to those contracts.

"And be an oath breaker?" Sano growled. "Besides, she signed on as a _cleaner_."

"She signed on as an employee to this agency," Shinomori corrected. "She is lucky we are willing to let the ten years stand instead of forcing her to extend her contract permanently, since her job requirements have changed."

Kaoru stared at him, suddenly feeling numb.

"I will send someone to help you move your things to a new place." He finished, moving towards the door. "Don't bother Misao about this one, Sanosuke. She cannot help you."

The door shut softly, but she flinched anyway. Sano's expression was similar to a dog that had just been kicked, and she felt like her insides were alive and wiggling around.

"I'm going back to bed."

Sano just nodded, his expression poleaxed. Knowing he wouldn't be any help for a while, and that Yahiko was still off with Tsubame, she headed for the shower to wash off the sweat from her exercise. Some things just needed to be handled only after you had time to hide from the world.

* * *

_**Please Comment**_


	3. Chapter 3

Well, here is chapter three! I hope everyone enjoys it!

Ravyn

**Warning: A little bit of violence, a little bit of lime. **

Disclaimer: I do not own RK. Sad, but true.

**Revised 3/5/10

* * *

**

Kenshin frowned at Aoshi, whose expression was stoic as he had ever seen it.

"When I signed my contract with you, I made it clear that I work alone."

"We're making an exception."

"_Explain_."

"He's losing his control."

Kenshin froze. Tilting his head, he sat on his desk and crossed his arms. _Losing control_. There was a hint of anticipation on Aoshi's stance now that he knew to look for it. The knowledge that the enemy had given away its weakness. The Oniwabanshu had originally been clan based and hereditary. Things had changed over the past two hundred years, but the main family still controlled the onimitsu. After the death of Misao's father fifteen years ago, her uncle had taken over. Misao was the heir to the clan and her relationship with Aoshi was being watched with interest by everyone. If her uncle was starting to lose his grip on the clan, then it meant Aoshi's grip was slowly tightening.

Kenshin had heard the rumors of mistakes, had seen Kaoru deal with the aftermath of them. The Oniwabanshu couldn't afford to show weakness to the yakuza they dealt with. If there was a single open mistake, Aoshi and Misao would assume control.

"What does that have to do with _this_?"

"We need to chip away at his base of power. There is a new acquisition to the clan that would give him the advantage necessary to regain his control. We cannot allow that."

"Who?"

"A huntsman."

Kenshin stilled. "What?"

"It was a surprising find. Ironic, really. Without his inability to control the lower ranks, we would never have discovered this individual's full range of talents. Once he discovers the breech, which he will given time, he would exploit the talent until it ran dry. The only contract that he can't touch is yours. If we attach the huntsman to you, then we can use that against him."

Weaken his position. Gain enough control over the clan to change things as they wished.

"How long?"

Aoshi walked to the window. "That depends."

"You owe me, Shinomori."

"We'll see."

X

Kaoru hated her new apartment. It was cleaner, nicer and located closer to the middle of old Kyoto. Yahiko had pointed out delightedly that they had all their own beds. Sano had made a comment about teenage boys and the next thing she knew, they were trying to find ways to prop the obviously expensive coffee table with books none of them had interest in reading. Every morning she stumbled into the kitchen to see new tile she was reminded of why she was here. It was stupid to be morally offended, but there was something about knowing the men she was finding would end up dead.

Sano had told her that whomever Shinomori assigned her too, it was going to only be against mages who used forbidden arts. Oniwabanshu was very strict on who they took contracts out on. She had thought it interesting that he had made the distinction between Shinomori instead of the Oniwabanshu. She wondered if it mattered. Either way, one day her services were going to be sold outside the Oniwabanshu and she was going to find herself facing someone who wasn't in the dark arts.

That morning she had woken up to a box sitting on her kitchen table. She wasn't sure how it got there and had ignored it until she had eaten a bowl of cereal and drank half a pot of coffee. Unfortunately, the box was exactly what she dreaded. Inside was a small file of papers. The name of her partner wasn't listed; she didn't even get a physical description. Just a short, neatly written note with directions on the back enplaning where and how to meet her new partner folded inside a dark folder.

Looking at her wristwatch, she sighed and picked up her jacket. The summers were starting to turn to fall and the evenings were chilly. Besides, the jacket helped hide the knife she had strapped to her spine. Sano and Yahiko were out on an assignment, so it was best to be prepared. Whoever had picked the meeting had set her boys up so they couldn't follow her. She didn't mind exactly, the place she was supposed to meet her contact was a brisk ten-minute walk from her apartment to an outdoor café.

The walk was relaxing, in a sort of feet-dragging way. The sun was setting by the time she arrived at the café and people were starting to mill around in larger groups now that strange tattoos or odd eyebrows were not quite as visible as before. Feeling uncertain, she hung out by the wall of the entrance, not daring to go in. Thick smells of cheese and onion sauce stirred her appetite, which she ignored. The last thing she wanted was something in her stomach right then. Sighing, she shoved her bangs out of her eyes, and looked around impatiently.

Surely, her contact knew what she… looked…

Her throat went dry. A familiar redhead was walking down the street. There was a sinking sensation in her stomach and she swallowed. It had to be a coincidence. Himura Kenshin was supposed to be a businessman! It didn't matter that she had seen his eyes spark yellow, seen him with that sharp smile. He moved through the crowd with feline grace, comfortable in his own skin. Pressing against the wall, she watched him nervously.

The thin veneer of businessman had been stripped away. His vibrant hair had been pulled high, bringing out all the sharp angles of his face and his eyes glinted like gold. Black jeans, a gray t-shirt and a long black trench coat hugged his lean form. She tried to look away, to duck around the alley corner but her legs refused to move.

She tried not to fidget as he paused, ignoring the people moving around him, eyes scanning the area. It was obvious that he was looking for someone and she bit her lip. Surely, Shinomori's humor wasn't this sick…

She stopped breathing when warm toffee locked onto her. Twenty feet separated them, but she could see the way his pupils narrowed with surprise. The way his eyes darkened into bronze. He stared at her for long moments. Then he _changed_. His stance, his eyes, the angle of his jaw shifted. One corner of his mouth curved in a satisfied expression that made her stomach flutter. Her mouth was dry as he walked forward.

"Kaoru, Kaoru, Kaoru," he drawled, shoulder leaning comfortably against the wall, cutting her off from the people moving around them. "What a delightful surprise."

She stared at him, trying not to notice the way his eyes were swallowing her.

"I must have committed genocide in a past life."

The bronze of his eyes lightened to a wheat gold. Fascinated, she caught herself staring and ripped her gaze away to watch the crowd moving around them. Dangerous to be with him like this, with no distractions.

"You're the huntsman," he said, the words rolling off his tongue slowly, "this _is_ a delightful surprise."

She forced herself to meet his eyes again, her stomach twisting with butterflies.

"And who are you?"

He straightened, the edges of his eyes deepening into something of a smile. "Ah. So they hadn't told you. It must have taken Aoshi most of the past week to work you into his spells."

Leaning forward so that his mouth brushed the fall of her hair, he took a deep breath. Kaoru froze, hands tightening into fists to keep from reacting.

"My under cover name is Battousai."

_Oniwabanshu_. Hunter. _Battousai_. The slight ache exploded behind her eyes into a full-fledged headache and she swallowed, hard. Maybe she should have eaten after all.

"Come on," Kenshin/Battousai, murmured. "If I had known it was you I would be meeting tonight, I would have worked in enough time to sit down and discuss this. You never eat properly, but as it is we need to go."

"Go where?" Her voice hitched a little as he pulled away and she ducked, hoping he hadn't noticed.

"There was a murder last night." He said, fingers wrapping around her elbow as he started walking. She had to hurry to keep up. "We believe it was Jineh's work. We need you to verify it."

She swallowed, "Where?"

"In new Kyoto," he said calmly. "We'll have to be careful, but Aoshi has his agents working on it. We have two hours before someone shows up. That gives us an half an hour to get in and an hour to get out."

"I walked over…" she started.

"That's fine." He said mildly. "I drove."

Like every other male in this city, he drove a bike. She would have accused him of just wanting her to wrap her arms around him, but his reaction to her was too real. Too honest. He hadn't known she was his partner.

It was a completely different experience hugging Kenshin than Sano. The men were built differently, but muscle was muscle and where Sano was thick and broad, Kenshin was lean and solid. She opened her eyes when the bike cut off. She hadn't wanted to see the world she had left behind, knowing that if she saw the familiar exits and stores that it would upset her. Three months wasn't long enough to let go of something you held close for twenty years.

"No lights?" Someone must have cut the electricity.

"Easier to move around unseen in the dark," he pointed out. "We have half an hour before the power company turns them back on."

She nodded. Just moonlight made it easier for many reasons. Buildings and houses became blurs, gardens and noises were strange echoes from places she couldn't see. Unfortunately, Kenshin had decided the best way to handle the dark was to take her hand and pull her through some unseen maze. She was forced to dig her nails into the back of his hand in warning when his thumb rolled across her palm in a caress that made the hair on the back of her arms stand up.

"So feisty," he murmured. "I won't hurt you."

She could just picture the flash of his teeth.

"Don't." She warned, fighting the urge to grab the ends of his hair she could just make out and yank. There was nothing comforting about long fingers and calluses as she walked towards someone's very messy death. Shaking off her unease, she lifted her chin and walked. The back of the home was guarded by a thick gate that opened that soundlessly. She scooted around Kenshin again before he could find her hand. She ground her teeth when instead; he settled a too-warm hand in the small of her back.

"Twenty minutes, a little faster, Kaoru." He chided softly, pushing her forward. "We need at least ten minutes to leave."

"I have ten minutes?"

"You probably won't need one." Kenshin whispered back, his breath brushing her ear.

"Aoshi says the crew erased everything except what was inside the dojo. They'll be cleaning the rest of it after we leave."

Dojo?

Kaoru dug her feet into the gravel, and ignored Kenshin's arm sinking around her waist.

"Dojo?"

"Kaoru?"

She stilled in surprise, her fingers find and twisting the fabric of his shirt. There were a limited number of dojos in the city. Most recreational areas for kendo practicing were not in the traditional homes. There was such a chance that she hadn't actually been to this dojo before… the tournaments in Kyoto were expensive and she had only been a handful of times. She might not have known the owner…

"What dojo, Kenshin?" The muscles around her waist bunched. She ignored the fact that she had let his actual name slip, the gut wrenching unease making her careless.

"It's on the east side of town," He said finally, his voice rough. "Over by the bridge, why?"

She felt uneasy. Letting her fingers slide free of his shirt, she took a wooden step away from his arms. He let the arm around her waist fall and she stumbled and caught herself. Turning away from Kenshin, she stared at the cheap white gravel under her feet and steadied herself. _In_. _Out_. _Breathe_. Forced herself not to think about who this might be.

"Kaoru?"

"We should hurry," she murmured, moving further away from him. Most dojo had tried to keep their original layout if they had been restored and even the new ones copied the original design. Her feet knew where they were taking her. Five stairs up, four steps to the right, lift the screen up a little as you slide otherwise it might grate…

"Kaoru, wait…"

The sensation was like being dropped in the middle of a frozen lake. Ice washed over her skin, Goosebumps prickling over her body and she shivered. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stared into the room and tried to see.

Kenshin's hand burned as it grabbed her elbow. "I'll go in first."

She pulled out of his grip, her movement jerky but waited for him to step inside. She already knew what they would find. She waited until she felt him move past her and then took a step inside the confines of the shoji screens. That step echoed up her spine and vibrated in her skull like a bell. It danced along nerve endings and rattled around in the space that had never before been _hollow_. Stumbling straight into Kenshin she panted against his back. Somehow the heat of his body made it easier to think, as if it was blocking the vibrations.

"It's the same."

He stilled. "Are you sure?"

She nodded, slowly easing herself away and attempting to ignore the way those vibrations increased as she did so. Her stomach heaved a little and she dug her nails into her palms.

"I'm sure."

He was silent for a long time.

Kaoru licked her lips. She had to know. Her voice was shakier than she liked when she finally managed to speak.

"Who did he kill?"

"The owner of the dojo, Gohei Hiruma."

The bottom of her stomach dropped out. A faint noise escaped her mouth and even as she took a step back, hot fingers settled along her jaw. He hissed.

"You're freezing."

"It's cold in here," she shot back, trying not to lean into his hand as a second joined the first. Thumbs brushed against her cheeks and she forced herself to remain still as a little of that uneven thrumming eased.

"Will you be able to find the person who left behind the spell mark, Kaoru?" His tone was soft.

She nodded, knowing he would feel the gesture and not trusting her voice when he was so close she could feel his breath moving her bangs.

"Our time is up," he said, sliding his hands down her neck to her shoulders, so that she had to bite her lip to keep from making a noise. Her skin burned where he touched it.

She didn't argue when he guided her out of the dojo and back to the bike. Shutting her eyes tightly and leaning into him kept that painful buzzing from taking over her mind. She desperately tried to figure out what she was feeling. Gohei was dead. Killed by what was obviously a monster. But what was he doing here? Why wasn't he in Tokyo? She bit her lip. Had he simply pulled the same scam twice?

Her eyes flew open at sudden silence and the lack of vibrations from the bike. At some point in the drive, she had slid forward so that her front was pressed into Kenshin's back. The helmet couldn't have been comfortable, so she pushed herself away from him. Looking around, she blinked when she realized they were not in front of the shop they had met at earlier. Pulling her helmet off, she frowned.

"Where are we?"

"When did you eat last?"

"None of your business."

He pulled out the key. "You're pale and you're still shivering."

"That doesn't mean I want to eat, it means I want to go home and sit in the bathtub." She said, twisting her wrist as he pulled her off the bike.

"We also need to talk."

"No we don't."

He stopped, turning so that she crashed into his shoulder and was still able to meet his eyes. There was a particular spark that reminded her of the night she had stumbled into him outside of the bar; just as it was then, her throat closed and she couldn't find the air to argue.

"I will be reporting tonight to Aoshi," Kenshin said firmly. "You only have to talk about it once, Kaoru and it will be with me. You are still shivering and since I feel that you will object to my taking you back to my place to drop you into _my_ shower, we will eat something hot here."

Making a face at his back and shoving down the temptation to stick out her tongue, she dug in her heels. It did little good and she soon found herself in a booth poking at a bowl of soup. She wasn't certain what it was but it must have been okay because Kenshin was already eating his. Besides the soup, there was a plate of still warm bread. To her disgust, the minute she swallowed her absent appetite woke up and her stomach rumbled embarrassingly. Kenshin didn't say anything – she hoped it had something to do the glare she shot him. Some of the bone deep chill eased by the time she finished and was nursing her second cup of coffee, but her toes and sternum were still cold. Once the dishes were cleared and the coffee cups refilled, she found herself on the end of one of those assessing looks.

"What?"

"You knew the dojo."

She dropped her eyes, staring at the dark mug.

"I'll talk to Sanosuke if I have to, Kaoru."

She tightened her fingers around the mug and swallowed. Sano would tell Kenshin anything he wanted. Especially if he thought she was holding back information that would end up hurting her.

"I didn't know that dojo in particular… I just know dojo."

She missed the way his eyes narrowed.

"Explain."

His tone had her head lifting and she blinked at him. There was something sharp about the angle of his eyes and jaw line that startled her.

"Kenshin?"

"Tell me about the dojo, Kaoru."

She frowned at him, hesitating. His intensity made her nervous so she dropped her eyes and talked. He would find out eventually anyway.

"I'm… I have a passing familiarity with the dojo styles in Kyoto because I used to own on in Tokyo. I taught my family's style with my father." Her throat closed and she tried to push away the rush of emotion. Right now was not the time.

"He died two years ago. I took over. Six months ago, someone approached me about selling to a different style and I refused. There were… threats, but I didn't take them seriously until I was accused of being a mage." She picked up a bit of the remaining bread and shredded it between her fingers. "I woke up to the mage symbol spray painted in front of my gate and I ran. I haven't been back since."

"You knew the man who was killed."

Kaoru closed her eyes. "Hiruma Gohei was the man who wanted me to sell…"

He shifted his weight in the booth and she opened her eyes, stomach twisted at the expression behind his eyes. There was something aggressive about his posture and she bit her cheek.

"That's it."

The corner of his brow lifted. "Is that so?"

She scowled at him. "Yes."

"Are you still cold?"

"What?"

"Are you still cold?"

"Why?"

"Answer the question."

"Don't bully me," she returned, frowning at him. She tried to figure out why he would be worried about the air conditioning; it wasn't as if he could do anything about it. The entire idea was making her head hurt and the slowly fading buzzing behind her eyes kicked up again. Fighting the urge to reach up and press her fingers against her temples, she reached for her coffee mug.

Deciding to ignore the way he was watching her, that slanting glance that made her skin itch, she averted her eyes and stared at the tile. Now that she was thinking about the vibrations, they were starting to itch along the back of her scalp and down to the base or her neck. The soup had been a bad idea; it was starting to churn in her stomach. It was as if her entire body was attempting to align itself to those horrible erratic sensations, like a tuning fork.

Deciding to ignore the problem with Kenshin, she concentrated on figuring out those vibrations. She wished they didn't burn along the back of her scalp and make it so difficult to _think_. Reaching up, she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

Warm fingers brushed over her knuckles and she jerked, spilling some of her lukewarm coffee over her fingers. She swore, reaching for the napkins and glared at him. His eyes were dark with amusement and she scowled.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You looked a little lost." He said as he wiped his fingers. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Well, don't do it again."

The edges of his eyes deepened. "Something is bothering you."

"I just reminded of what I left behind – of course something is bothering me."

"It's not just that." He said thoughtfully, those yellow eyes roving over her face slowly.

"You haven't said a word about Jineh.'"

She flinched. "I don't want to talk about Jineh."

"It's the only way we are going to learn how to make things easier, Kaoru. You reacted twice. Once when the door opened and then once when we stepped inside. Why?"

"Why do we have to talk about this?" She demanded. "Isn't it enough that I'm being forced to do this?"

She stared outside the window and ignored the way she could feel his eyes roaming her profile.

"I know you didn't ask for this." Kenshin said softly. "I didn't know it was you when I agreed to be your partner, Kaoru. It's important that you understand that."

"Why?"

"Because I don't work with people," He returned. "I am not particularly fond of protecting people I don't know. What I do most people don't care to acknowledge except for the horror of it and I don't have the patience to deal with people who don't understand. I don't care to explain myself to idiots."

She jerked around, her chin rising stubbornly. "_I_ don't understand it."

"Since I don't understand what you do, we're even." He returned, smiling sharply.

She clenched her teeth and glared.

"I don't just kill indiscriminatingly."

"I don't care."

"Jineh," Kenshin said, leaning forward, "kills because he enjoys it."

She looked away.

"He will keep killing, unless we stop him."

"I hate it."

"It's difficult for some." He agreed. "That doesn't make it wrong."

"So you want me to help you kill," Kaoru whispered.

"I want you to help me find the mages that hide behind their illusions and lies, fattening themselves on blood and death. Then _I_ plan to kill them. Jineh has eluded our spies for too long." Something hot flared behind his eyes and she looked away. "Gohei deserved his fate. I would have done worse if I had known."

She swallowed.

"Kaoru," She reluctantly met his eyes. "You _can_ do this."

She didn't want to believe him. She didn't want to think anything he said was true. She didn't want to depend on him or trust him or acknowledge that he had seen something in her she hadn't. If they were going to be partners, she would _have_ _to_. Feeling sick, she lowered her eyes to stare at the table.

"Have you ever been electrocuted?"

"Yes."

"It's like that."

"How?"

"The bubbles are smaller, so it's more of a vibration than anything else, at least with Jineh. The vibrations are erratic, scattered, they don't seem to have a pattern and it hurts."

"How does it feel different than everyone else?"

"The cold."

Kenshin was silent for so long that she looked up.

"Himura-san?"

"Kenshin," he corrected absently. "Are you still cold?"

"You keep asking that."

"Jineh's specialty is a spell that freezes the lungs of his victims, paralyzing them with their own fear. Before he went completely insane, we would find bodies frozen – he'd suffocated them. It's harder to prove when the bodies are as scattered as he leaves them now, but from your reaction, it's apparent he is still using it."

"I'm not as cold as I was."

He nodded.

"How long did it take for the effects to stop?"

"The cold is mostly gone." She repeated.

"The vibrations?"

She swallowed. "I don't know."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged, twisting her fingers together as she stared at his shoulder.

"I'm tired."

"Kaoru…"

"Grill me tomorrow, Himura-san. You have enough information to make your report to Aoshi. I want to go home and go to bed."

Stubbornly lifting her eyes, she forced herself to look at the dark gold rim of his iris and not give anything away. Eyes streaked with color, he finally nodded once and slid out of the booth.

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll be picking you up tomorrow and brining you back to my place to eat lunch. I don't trust Sano and Yahiko not to try to overhear."

"Fine."

His eyes lightened as the edge of his mouth curved. "I'm tempted to take you home with me now. You might sleep more."

"No."

"Eventually," he warned her as they slid out of the booth, Kenshin pulling several bills from his wallet. "I won't accept your excuses."

"They're not excuses," she muttered. "I just don't want to be around you.'

His eyes smiled and she looked away. His arm slid around her shoulder as they walked onto the street and steered her away from the bike.

"What are you doing?"

"Your place is close enough to walk."

"So you just decided we were going to walk?"

"What where you planning on doing once you went home to unwind?"

She jabbed him with her elbow. "I don't think it matters."

"Walking," he continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Will wind you down and let you fall over into bed without doing a million sit-ups."

She shrugged her shoulders, which he ignored. "I don't understand why you care."

His fingers tightened on her shoulder. "I've told you, Kaoru. I like you."

She snorted.

His breath ghosted down her ear. "You don't believe me."

She shivered. It was unfair when he used that tone, that slow rolling way he said her name. She didn't want him to be telling the truth.

"Every time we meet, something goes wrong. I don't think anything you have done can begin to mean you like me." She glanced up to catch his lips curl.

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Hot lips brushed her temple and she jerked.

"_What_ is it with you?"

He laughed. "Has anyone told you that you're adorable when you're grumpy?"

Rolling her eyes, she turned her gaze forward. She could have stepped out from under his arm, but he was warmer than the air and she had already expressed that she wasn't interested. Of course, that hadn't really worked well the last time. Frowning a little, she watched her feet and ignored the man next to her.

"Kaoru…" he stopped, his hand tightening against her shoulder, forcing her to stop as well. She wanted to berate him, they were standing in the middle of the walk path, but no one was around.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

She frowned up at him. "Yes."

He reached up and touched the corner of her eyes. "Your eyes don't agree."

"You keep doing this," she scowled. "Asking questions I have already answered. I'll be fine. I told you."

The hand at her at her temple slid under her chin and he stared at her.

"It's cold outside, and I think I've spent enough time freezing tonight. I am tired, you're being a pain. Let _go_, Himura."

Those strange eyes narrowed.

His mouth was warm. Kaoru's spine went rigid as his lips brushed hers. The kiss was soft and she staggered away from his mouth in surprise, but he kept in step with her, his lips leaving hers for only a moment before they returned. Back hitting a wall, she opened her eyes wide to stare at him. His warm hand slide along her jaw until his thumb rested behind her ear, fingers tangling at the base of her neck as he sucked her lip between his teeth and nibbled.

Her eyes shut as something pleasant vibrated down her spine and out towards her shoulder blades, all the way down to her fingertips and toes. An arm slid around her waist and she pressed into the warmth of his sweater, letting him tilt her head back to deepen the kiss. He tasted like coffee and heat.

When he pulled back to rest his head against her temple and her head cleared, she discovered she had wrapped her arms around his waist, under his coat, and the collar of his jacket brushed her cheek as she panted against his shoulder. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to pull away, fingers rubbing lightly against the base of her neck and she realized her headache was gone.

"I should take you home now." He murmured, something about the brush of his fingers against the base of her neck told her more than words. He didn't particularly care to let her go.

"I can't believe you kissed me." She mumbled, refusing to lift her head when she felt him shift a little. She considered unwrapping her arms from around him, but decided until he answered her question, it was probably safer not to.

"There is nothing wrong with kissing you," he returned, his voice bemused. "In fact, I'm hoping to do it again fairly soon."

"Why?"

He went to pull back and she refused to let him move, tangling her fingers in his sweater. His body vibrated in what was probably laughter and she kept her head ducked.

"I mean it, Kenshin." She told him firmly, still staring at his collarbones. "If this is your idea of getting me to cooperate on this _stupid_ mission…"

His hand slid under her jaw and she found her head tilting back almost painfully as he crushed his mouth against hers. Everything about this kiss was more forceful than the last, from the way he pushed her up against the wall, free hand hooking under her knee to lift her that inch it took to match their heights, to the way his body fitted against hers. When he pulled back, she gasped for air, staring at the eyes that were so close to hers.

The yellow swallowed the violet.

"I will only ever kiss you because I want to, Kamiya Kaoru," he drawled. "Make no mistake about it. I want you to _trust_ our working relationship, but be comfortable? The only thing you need to be comfortable with me is as a man." He deliberately shifted his hips against hers so that her breath caught.

"In fact," his voice lowered to a thoughtful purr, finger stroking down her throat. "There are many interesting ways to make you decidedly uncomfortable."

She swallowed and stared at him. "You're making an awfully big assumption."

A red brow tilted. "Am I?"

A breath rattled out of her chest. "Yes."

She hoped so…

Instead of putting her down and stepping back, he leaned forward so that his mouth rested just below her ear. She could feel the way his lips curved into a smile along her jaw.

"Oh, I believe I am going to have a great deal of fun showing you otherwise," he mused, pressing his lips against her skin, smile deepening as she shivered. "I won't even hold your love of hot water against you."

"Put me _down_, Kenshin."

"I suppose I should," he agreed. "Otherwise you're going to end up in my bed tonight after all."

She jabbed him with her thumb when he didn't move, "now."

"As you wish," he sighed before kissing her cheek and setting her down carefully, helping her re-arrange her coat. "Let's get you home and into that bath."

She glared at him. "Will you stop?"

He lifted a brow. "I am very interested in the idea of you bathing. And curious to see how much larger my place is than yours."

She growled at him and picked up her pace. "No."

"I didn't expect anything less," he agreed, his tone amused.

She snarled and kept walking. If she were honest, she would admit kissing Himura Kenshin was very pleasant. Even if he walked around as one man during the day and occasionally spent nights hunting down insane mages under a completely different identity. She could even admit that she was attracted to him. Honesty wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

When they finally made it to her door, she was a little calmer. Digging around for her keys, she eventually unlocked the door. The sounds of Sano calling a greeting relieved her. Opening the door to a cold house would have rattled her.

"Good night, Kaoru." He murmured as she stepped inside her the apartment. "Think of me."

She didn't even bother looking over at him; instead, she shut the door firmly and threw the lock into place. Stupid, _stupid_ man!

X

"Why are we out here again?" Yahiko demanded. His hands were shoved in his pockets to block some of the wind and Kaoru just couldn't tell if was the wind or the lack of a brush that was making his hair so… so…. _Sano_.

Stubbornly, she shoved open the door to the antique shop. They had already had this discussion and she didn't feel like repeating herself. Lying was bad enough, but lying multiple times to two people she cared for irked her. She wouldn't even _be in_ this position if it had been for Himura. Blowing out a calming breath, she turned and watched as her two disgruntled boys walked over.

"Really, Jou-chan, is this necessary?"

"I need things and so do you," she returned. "They said I was getting a pay raise, so we might as well get what we need while we can afford it. For all we know, they might decide to be demote me."

It was another lie, but a slightly more believable one than her sudden desire to go shopping for a replacement bokken in the middle of what was turning out to be a dreadfully cold day. At least Yahiko wasn't making too much noise. She had a hunch that it was because he was conserving energy to stay warm. She didn't blame him. If she had her way, she would be in bed and hiding from the weather as well.

'Another thing to blame on the redhead…'

She hadn't slept well. Tossing and turning, hot and cold by turns, she had finally pulled herself out of her bed and into the shower. Jineh's cold vibrations had haunted her only when she wasn't remembering the heat and taste of Kenshin. Swallowing, she stared hard at a selection of warding spells and took a careful breath. She was here to look into getting a bokken and those spells Sano was insisting she needed to have engraved into the wood. The only way she was going to agree to that was if she could be assured the wood wouldn't be compromised and easily broken.

The sounds of low, unhappy voices pulled her out of her mental ravings. Turning, she found Yahiko and what appeared to be the shopkeeper in an argument. Sano was moving in quickly from the back and she went to join them.

"Is there a problem?" Sano spoke, beating her by a few steps to the scene.

"We do not serve his kind here." The man said firmly. "This shape caters to mages only."

Sano's fist tightened until the knuckles turned white. "Why the hell not?"

"We don't serve _trash_." The man responded, his face impassive.

Yahiko's face was tight with anger. Knowing where this was going, she reached over and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Then we will be taking our business elsewhere," she interrupted before either of them could say something. Apply pressure she lifted him right off his feet and shoved Yahikoforward. Sano followed, but he was swearing under his breath.

"I'm sorry Yahiko," Kaoru apologized once they made it outside.

He shrugged a tight, jerky movement of his shoulders.

"Man, Jou-chan," Sano growled. "Why didn't you at least let me hit him?"

"Because that wouldn't have solved anything," Kaoru pointed out. "If we had wrecked his shop, it probably would have just proved his point. There are other, better ways to deal with people like that."

Yahiko's eyes were dark. "Right. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

She slapped him in the back of the head. "Use the head you have, Yahiko. You have contacts within the Oniwabanshu who probably won't be overly thrilled that someone refused to help one of their agents. See what Misao can dig up on the shop owner and then we'll decide how we want to deal with it."

"There are too many shops that won't serve witches," Yahiko shot back. "You're fucking idealistic."

She narrowed her eyes. "Again, you're _not thinking_."

"I'm thinking just fine." He returned.

"No, you're not." She rounded on him, hand going onto her hip.

"Why don't you try walking into a witches store sometime," Yahiko shot back.

"Alright, let's go." Kaoru returned, eyes narrowing.

"Okay, enough." Sano said, stepping between them. "You two fighting isn't going to solve anything. I do happen to know a shop near here that should have what we need and they don't mind witches _or _mages."

"Fine."

"Whatever," Yahiko said, shoving his hands back into his pockets.

Teenagers. Now she understood why her father had handed her a bokken.

The shop Sano was referring to was only a short walk from where they had parked the bikes. The entrance was actually an alley and there was crooked sign she couldn't read with a black cat painted onto cracked wood. It smelled like hot spice and something green.

"Yo! Meg!"

There was a brief silence.

"Dammit, _Sanosuke_, you had better not have broken something again, or I swear to my gods…"

To Kaoru's surprise, it was the pretty healer who had come out once or twice to mend wounds and the cleanup from their more interesting fights. She had on an apron stained with something blue, and her hair was pulled away from her face, but she looked at ease.

"Not this time. I'm actually looking for some spells."

"You're not putting it on your tab until you pay off the other one."

Kaoru stepped forward, wondering if Sano had a tab everywhere.

"I'm paying."

Dark cinnamon eyes raked her over before she nodded. "Alright. Give me a moment to clean up." She eyes landed on Yahiko. "Don't break anything."

To Kaoru's surprise, Yahiko's face turned dull red. Seemingly satisfied, the taller woman spun around and disappeared behind a simple cloth door. Feeling slightly bewildered, Kaoru let her eyes roam what shelves she could see. Most of the shelves behind the thick counter looked to be latent spells and wards and behind glass cases there were small packets of ground herbs and brightly colored stones. Bigger items were put onto shelves and what she could see of the back wall was covered in thick books.

"What is this place?"

"Meg started it after she joined the Oniwabanshu," Sano explained. "She makes most of the potions and dry spells, but she hires out witches and mages to make the wards."

"Oh." She cut her eyes to Yahiko. "What did you break?"

"None of your business!" Yahiko snapped, moving away from her to disappear in one of the rows. Smiling, she moved to look around.

"Don't you dare try to order something for me," Kaoru warned as she walked towards that wall of books.

"Awe, come on Jou-chan…"

"No."

She studied the volumes and sighed. What was the point of getting something if she couldn't read the kanji?

"They're spelled to read English."

She stilled at the sound of Himura's voice. Turning her head, she swallowed at the site of him leaning up against the wall next to her. When had he gotten here and why the hell hadn't she noticed?

"If they're spelled to read English," she shot back, "then why can't I read them?"

"You're looking too deep," he returned, pushing off the wall and moving to stand so close his leather jacket brushed against her shoulder.

"That's ridiculous."

He smiled; she hid a shiver. She wanted to step away, to leave and pretend she had never seen him, but that somehow seemed to be giving in and admitting defeat.

"You look tired."

"That happens when you're up all hours of the night." She returned, looking back at the books. Looking too deep? What did that mean?

"I'm not so easy to lie to as the others," He warned. She took a step to the side in surprise when warm fingers brushed hair behind her ear. "Don't try."

"Yo, Jou-chan, if you don't want me ordering, get up here!"

"Looking for something particular?"

"That's…"

"Kaoru," His eyes were serious now.

Right. Partner. _Damn_ how he could remind her of everything just by saying her name. The name she had never given him permission to use!

"I apparently need to replace my bokken."

"Ah." He took a step forward and she had to work to keep from stepping away from him. He lowered his head until it rested right next to her ear.

"Ask Megumi for your package."

"Excuse me?" Her voice sounded strained to her own ears.

"I'll be waiting for you outside." Kenshin said, stepping away from her. The right side of her face felt cold.

"For what?"

"You agreed to join me for lunch."

Before she could find a way to argue, he was walking away from her and towards the door. To her utter shock, Sano and Yahiko just nodded. It was as if they didn't even realize he was Himura Kenshin.

"Kaoru! Hurry the hell up!"

Reaching up to rub her ear, she walked forward. "Right, right, sorry."

"Jeez, what were you doing back there?" Sano asked. There was a small pile of things in front of him on the counter and he looked more amused than irritated.

"None of your business!" Kaoru growled. Hesitating, she finally looked at Megumi. "Do you have a package for me?"

The tall woman's eyes swung to the door where Kenshin had gone, a frown on her face. "I'll check."

Sano frowned at her. "Who would have sent you a package?"

Kaoru just crossed her arms, shifting her weight nervously. What would he have given her? Curiosity ate at her and she tried to ignore it. Blowing her bangs out of her eyes, she studied the floor.

"I apologize, I wasn't aware this had been left or I would have given it to you when you first arrived." Megumi's voice cut through her thoughts and she looked up. She was holding a familiar package wrapped in brown paper. The length and width of the wrapping told what it was even before she had it in her hands.

'_Did you leave anything behind?' _

'_My bokken.'_

When she pulled the paper away, to her surprise the wood had a row of carefully drawn symbols down the side. Sano peered over the top of her head and whistled.

"Damn, Jou-chan, those are expensive."

She was going to kill him! Rolling it back into the brown paper, she turned and headed to the door.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"I'll catch up with you later!" Kaoru said as she opened the door.

"Hey, you still need to pay." Megumi called.

"Put it on Sano's tab!"

* * *

**_Please Comment_**


	4. Chapter 4

Here is chapter four! I hope everyone likes it as much the last three. One more to go!

Ravyn

Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

Warning: Violence.

Beta: Ginny.

**Revised 3/5/10

* * *

**

He was leaning against a dark blue car, arms crossed to conserve heat as he watched her approach. A faint smile hovered against his mouth and she clenched her fist around her bokken until her knuckles turned white.

"_What the hell_ did you do to my bokken?"

"You don't like the spells?"

"I don't know what the hell they are!" She growled, shoving a finger into his chest. "What did you do?"

His hand came to curl around the fingers pressed into his chest, thumb running over her knuckles. She tried to pull her hand back and he smiled, tugging so that she and her bokken crashed into his side.

"Well, the first is a "return me" spell." His lips brushed her ear. "The rest are basic protection spells."

"Sano said they were expensive," she snapped, pushing away and glaring at him.

"Those would be the strengthening spells," he drawled. "If you won't use steel, then you need something that has the punch of it, darling. Don't worry, I paid for them."

She glared at him. "Don't call me that."

He just smiled.

"You are so very annoying." She ground out.

"So says the partner who tried to back out of lunch." Kenshin returned as he reached over to open her door. "It's cold. Get in."

"I don't want…" she started.

"I don't care." He said mildly. "You need to eat and we need to talk. Get in."

She stared at the dashboard until the car started moving.

"I do not like being bullied."

"I asked nicely the first time."

She tilted her head and snorted. "We must have been having two different conversations."

He smiled and she scowled.

"I don't find this amusing."

Those yellow eyes flickered over at her. They were warm enough that she looked away.

"I'm having fun." He said. "It's not often that someone argues with me."

She looked out the window.

"You're baiting me."

"Of course."

She clenched her fists. "You are the most vexing man I have ever met."

"Thank you."

She glared at the passing cars until she got her temper back under control.

"Why didn't Sano and Yahiko recognize you?"

"Aoshi is very diligent in protecting my identities." He said easily. "A few years ago he borrowed some blood and worked in some semi-permanent spells into my aura. The one you're asking about pulls images from an individual's mind. Those images are translated into an illusion and they see what they want to see when they look at me. Nothing more."

"Oh."

"You can see through it because you haven't learned not to look through illusions yet." He said mildly. "Aoshi is working on incorporating you into some of the spells."

"What?"

"He'll need a willing blood sample to finish them."

"No."

"We'll talk about it later." He promised, reaching over to shut off the engine. "We're here."

She looked up and frowned. "Where are we?"

"Inner old Kyoto."

She gawked at him before pushing her door open. "Why?"

"Because this is the most secure location I have," he returned. "The conversation we are going to have demands privacy."

"How does that equal lunch?"

"I took the liberty of stopping by a deli and picking a few things up."

She stopped just shy of the elevator, starring at him. "When?"

"When you were supposed to be at your apartment sleeping," He returned easily. "I would have cooked, but had things that needed taking care of and ran out of time."

"… You cook?"

"Yes."

Thankfully, the elevator ride didn't require speech, because her brain had shut down at the thought that he cooked. Battousai _cooked_. Reaching up, she rubbed her suddenly aching head.

"Come on. I'll get you something for that headache."

"No thank you. I really don't trust you around medication." She shot at him as she stepped away from the hand on the small of her back.

"You're going to have to get over that." He warned, voice laughing.

Why did he have to feel like sunlight and a cat's purr?

His apartment was filled with leather and plush carpet, and she wiggled her toes when he wasn't paying attention. Expensive carpet. He hadn't been lying about the deli and in a matter of minutes she was starring a plate heaped with potato salad, a thick sandwich, chips and a jar of pickles.

"Isn't this a little much for lunch?"

"You need to gain about five pounds."

He tucked into his sandwich in what clearly was supposed to be an example for her to follow. Taking a deep breath, she dug in too. Thankfully, once she started eating, he seemed content to let her eat and not pester her with questions. It was only after he had cleared the plates and put a pot of coffee on to percolate that he pinned her with that look that always meant she was going to be talking about things she didn't want to talk about.

"We need to discuss those vibrations." Kenshin warned as he returned to his seat at the table. "Glare at me if you want, but if we figure out what's causing them we can create a flexible ward that will allow you to block it."

She blinked at him, the terse words she had been fixing to say dying on her tongue.

"What?"

His eyes were that warm toffee again. "I told you that I was going to protect you."

Dammit. This was what she didn't want to happen. She didn't want that look to warm the space in her chest or for her to realize that she could trust him to watch her back. She didn't want him that close. She didn't want to _believe_ in him…

"I don't know what triggers the vibrations." She said finally. "I don't feel them for everyone."

"When do you feel them?"

She bit the inside of her lip. "It's hard to explain."

"Alright," he said as he stood. "Black or cream?"

"Black, please."

She studied her nails as she listened to him move around in the kitchen. She was not explaining to him that he felt like the warm crackle of a fireplace and kitten purrs, or that Jineh felt like electrocution in the middle of a blizzard. The sound of the coffee mug being set down had her lifting her head up.

"How much basic magic do you know?"

"Excuse me?"

"Basic magic," Kenshin said. "How much do you know?"

She shook her head slowly, fingers curving along the mug. "Only a little, mostly just what I used to clean the crime scenes."

"Alright. That's a place to start."

"To start?"

"There are some spells that you are going to need to learn. Aoshi assures me that you have the aptitude for personal warding and summoning spells. Not spells that need lots of power, but control."

"I don't understand." Kaoru said, her brows tucking together. Hadn't their conversation earlier been about vibrations? Where was this coming from?

Kenshin's shoulder muscles rolled in a smooth, practiced motion. Her eyes flickered to his hands and she stared at the naked katana that hadn't been there moments before. Wide eyes swung back to his face.

"You won't have the power to make a pocket for your bokken," Kenshin said mildly. "I can carry it for you most nights, but it would do you some good to know the spells."

"You just pulled that out of thin air."

"Yes."

"_How?"_

The edge of his mouth curved a little and he stood. "If you're interested in some reading, I will find the books."

"Oh… alright," she said slowly. "I should be going back soon though…"

"That's fine. I have a few calls to make. I'll light the fireplace and you can see if there is something you want to take back with you and then I'll drive you back to your place."

There was something evasive in his tone. Watching his back suspiciously as he left the room, she stood and headed to the window. The blinds parted under her fingers and she stared out the window at the traffic moving lazily below her. The sun was setting, and she sighed when she realized she had already adjusted to eating at strange hours.

She didn't realize Kenshin had come back until the crackle of the fire caught her attention.

The coffee table had half a dozen books stacked on it. Thankfully, they appeared to be in English. Walking back over, she picked one up and flipped though the page; frowning at the different symbols, and words that while in English, she didn't understand.

"I brought a pad and pen," Kenshin said, leaning over her shoulder so that the line of her spine was in contact with his chest. "If you have any questions, write them down and I will do my best to answer them."

The sound of the phone ringing interrupted anything she might have said, and she jumped at the brush of his mouth against her neck before he was moving away and into the room he had disappeared in before. Reaching up to cover the skin of her neck, she swallowed.

She was really not happy about this. Biting her lip, she looked back down at the book. They were different from Yahiko's and her curiosity itched. Sighing, she flopped onto the couch and started trying to read.

X

Kenshin put the phone down and rubbed his eyes. It wasn't even nine yet and already Aoshi was getting calls. If Jineh was on the move, then tonight they would have to go hunting. Kaoru had said she was able to track Jineh, but until they had more information on what he was up to… there was no point in hunting. There was going to be another body to examine and another exhausting night for his partner, but it was necessary.

Moving silently, he padded his way back into the living room. Kaoru was asleep, as he had expected her to be. The circles under her eyes were painfully obvious and no one managed to stay awake reading spell books without at least a pot of coffee in their system. As exhausted as she had been, he hadn't given her half an hour before giving into her body's need for sleep.

Keeping an eye on her lax form, he cleared the couch of her books and the note pad. He considered carrying her into his room, but decided against it. Knowing she had been in his bed, seeing her in his bed, would drive him to distraction every time he tried to sleep after this. It was best to wait to have her there until she was going to stay. Heading to the hall closet, he pulled down a blanket. She was tired enough that she didn't even stir as he adjusted her position on the couch, covering her with the blanket.

It only took a little concentration to pull his own book from his bedroom. Sitting on the love seat, he settled down for an evening of reading and watching Kaoru sleep.

X

He knew she was ignoring him. Tightening her grip on the over sized sweater she had been 'asked' to borrow, she stared straight ahead. She had made the mistake of pressing her thumb to her mouth while he spoke to someone and he had smiled – that slow, appreciative smile that _promised _things. If it hadn't made her mouth tingle with remembrance of the way he had woken her… An apology for not being able to let her sleep, he said. The violence she was considering couldn't be done in front of witnesses and there were several of those. Apparently something was bothering Shinomori and several Oniwabanshu members had been waiting for them at the site.

Something had happened. Something that was sending chills down her spine as she waited for Kenshin to come back and tell her what was going on. Wishing she had something to do, she tried not to fidget. Taking a fortifying breath; _when_ had she become such a _child_, she lifted her chin and studied the building in front of her. It was strange, odd lines and angles. It made something roll in her stomach, hard and cold.

The windows were even stranger. Tilted at angles that made it impossible to see more than a few inches inside the rooms; the building was made for magic. Swallowing, she took a step back and tilted her head to see if the angle was different higher. A shadow moved across the window, and she squinted, trying to see.

Her world narrowed to that section of window. A face stared down at her, eyes wild and red. His smile was too sharp, more fanged than blunt and she found she couldn't breathe. Something red was dripping down his face and when he lifted his hand to the window, blood smeared with it.

Then he laughed.

It ate into her skin and twisted along the paths that terrible disjointed vibration followed.

She screamed.

The sound hung in the air and twisted around her and she still couldn't look away. Then there was an arm around her waist and hot yellow was boring into her gaze. She stared at him, stunned and hardly breathing.

"Stay here."

Then he was gone. She blinked, trying to clear her head, trying to figure out where he had gone. There was a sound, a pulse, something shattering and she lifted her eyes. Two bodies were falling out of that window. Her eyes were huge as she watched them land, rolling away from each other.

Kenshin had lost his jacket. His hair was twisted around his neck and seemed to spark against his skin. In his hand was a katana whose blade was black from hilt to tip, except for the kanji that burned the same gold color as his eyes. It wasn't the katana he had shown her before.

"Battousai!"

His voice was like grinding nails and she covered her ears.

"Jineh."

"I see you found my sparrow!" His laugh was worse close. "Mine! Mine!"

Her heart froze in her chest. Cold was seeping into her mind, pressing against her heart, vibrations crawling down her spine and her knees wobbled. She gasped for air, pressing her hand to her heart. It hurt.

"Leave her alone." Kenshin's words were a snarl.

"Oh! It isn't time to play… play. Mine to play."

They blurred. She couldn't follow the colors or the movements and another hard shock in her body kept her from trying. Dropping to her knees, she dug her palms into the broken asphalt and let the pain bleed into her concentration.

"Kamiya-san," the voice was new. "You have to stop."

Another mad cackle and she flinched. The voices were dropping away, a painful blur against her skull. Someone was shaking her, but it was so cold. Pain arched through her and she flinched away from it. It wouldn't stop. There were noises, metal on metal and furious words, and then it just faded away.

X

Hands pressed against her face, her chest, someone was rubbing her fingers.

"Breathe, dammit!"

Pressure hurt and she rolled away from it, coughing painfully into the concrete. Her teeth were rattled with the force of her shaking and she moaned, trying to curl into herself. Everything hurt. Finger tips too long in ice. An arm slid under her back, knees; lifting her up.

"Get out of my way."

Kenshin. Kenshin was holding her and arguing with someone. She could feel him physically wrapping her around him, but she couldn't _feel_ him. There was no scorching, no cat's purr.

She complained in the back of her throat as she was jostled.

"Stay with me. You're too cold, Kaoru."

Always her name. Never anything but her name. Damn man.

Every time she managed to sink into the dark corners of her mind, he would shake her. Her teeth felt like they would chip and break in her skull, but it was too hard to open her mouth to ask him to stop. He was mumbling things under his breath. She thought they were in a car, something was vibrating. The sounds of sirens hurt her ears. Those stopped and she tried to crawl into the darkness before someone banging jarred her back into awareness. Voices and numb sensations crawled down her skin.

"Hey… what the hell did you do to Jou-chan?"

"Move."

"Ka-… you're taking off her pants?"

"Man, what the fuck is all the… shit!"

She hardly felt the fingers on her skin, the clothing being ripped from her body.

"Did you fill the tub?"

"You can't be serious!"

Crashing. Something broke. Sano's voice, strained.

"Yeah, it's full."

"Don't come in."

Finally. Quiet. Just as she started to drift again, everything exploded. Heat rushed along her skin and into her veins, burning everywhere it touched. She couldn't breathe, couldn't expand her lungs to scream. Painful, jarring vibrations jerked along her spine so that her body arched, trying to escape.

Hands held her down.

"Just breathe, Kaoru."

She coughed, gasped and light flashed behind her eyes.

"You always say that." She whispered weakly. Her body sagged against the side of the tub, the marrow of her bones melted. "Stop."

The hand shifted, holding her up instead of down. Blinking until the last of the spots faded, she stared at the sloshing water, the way his skin stretched over muscle and bone along his wrists. Her body was shaking, but it wasn't from the cold.

"It's alright." He whispered, fingers stroking along her arm. "He won't find you here."

She lifted her head and stared at the man in front of her. His mouth was hard, eyes hot, but his touch wasn't rough. She should have felt awkward, naked and in the water with him watching her with those eyes. She didn't have the energy.

"What happened?"

His eyes closed and he took a slow breath. "We need to figure out a new way to shield you. Aoshi is already working on it."

"Shield?"

"Jineh deliberately flooded your system with his 'gift'"

"Why am I alive?"

"Let's get you dry and into bed."

"Himura…." He ignored her, reaching for the towel, fingers gripping her elbow to keep her in place. "Kenshin… please."

He stilled, hand going white around the edges of the towel. He took a deep breath and turned around, eyes almost colorless.

"Jineh wants to use you as bait."

"Bait?" Kaoru questioned, wrapping her arms around her chest so she could sit up a little.

"Why?"

Kenshin's jaw worked. "Because of us."

She frowned at him as he lifted her with one hand, wrapping the towel around her. She tried to ignore the way his eyes burned a line down her body now that she was covered. Stepping out of the water, she avoided his gaze as she adjusted the towel.

"I need clothes."

"Alright."

She shot him a glare. "Go away, Kenshin."

"Not until I know you're sleeping,"

Her knees were wobbling. That's why she let him hover without arguing, why she let him turn his back when she changed and ignored him when she crawled under the covers. Why she let him play with her hair while she willed herself to sleep. She wasn't a child who needed a protector from her own nightmares.

The only reason.

X

Kenshin shut the door carefully, testing the wards that Aoshi had built. She would be safe here, tonight. The wards would also keep the nightmares at bay. Pressing his forehead against the wood, he wished he could stay.

"What the _hell_ just happened?"

Twisting around, he stared at the two men in her life. The boy was bent over the couch, face green as he rubbed his eyes. Sano was standing by the front door, his features confrontational.

"I'll never sleep again." The witch muttered, "Fucking naked."

"Don't wake her up." He moved to the door and lifted a brow when Sano stopped him with a shake of his head.

"Not until you tell us."

If he broke any of the taller man's bones, Kaoru would be disappointed. Reigning in his temper, he spoke.

"Jineh has made her a target. Don't let anyone in."

"Does that include you?" The witch asked once he got over his shock.

"The wards won't let anyone but Shinomori or me in. Anyone else, kill."

"You brought her into this," Sano snapped. He stepped forward, glowering. "I know this was your doing."

Kenshin lifted a brow. "Your concern is noted."

"Why you _son of a bitch_…"

"Stay out of my way and do not interfere with us." Kenshin warned, stepping around Sano and opening the door. "Kaoru is _mine_."

Jineh was going to pay for hurting her. For making her scream like her soul was being ripped from her body. For daring to touch her with his magic. Clenching his teeth, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"What do you have?"

X

Kaoru stared at the cereal in her bowl, little circles being swirled around by her spoon. They had long since stopped being edible. The coffee had _dinged _its readiness five minutes ago, but she hadn't worked up the energy to care yet. Last night she had seen the face of the man responsible for the mess she was in. She had looked into his face and realized what kind of monster he was. Shoving her bowl foreword, she curled her arms onto the table and dropped her head. She should have stayed in bed. Things were always easier, better, when covered from head to foot in soft sheets.

"Damn, Jou-chan, you need coffee."

She lifted her head and stared at Sano as he moved around her chair and towards the coffee pot. He was hardly dressed and looked like hell.

"You too," She mumbled.

"Don't worry about me. I've been living off this stuff for hours."

"Huh?" She frowned at him, not sure what he was talking about.

"One sec. YAHIKO!"

There was a yelp and a hard thud. A second later, a pajama clad Yahiko flung himself out of his bedroom, hair wild, eyes huge as he looked around.

"What? Is that bastard back? Where is he!?"

She stared at him. Yahiko looked tense, like his entire body was about to snap if he didn't move. His eyes locked on her and some of the tension in his body faded.

"She's up."

"Oh."

Kaoru looked back and forth between them, baffled. What on earth?

"Dammit, ugly!"

She jerked, startled.

"Naked!"

She stared at him. "What?"

He pointed an accusing finger. "You! Naked! Him! My eyes! Burned!"

The _thunk_ of something ceramic in front of her saved her from working through his one word statements. Coffee. Picking up the mug, she gulped it down. Coughing at the heat, she waved Sano off.

"I needed that."

"Drink slower next time." Sano ordered as brought the pot over to refill her mug. There was silence and she peered through her watering eyes to him pointing at a chair. "Sit."

Yahiko slid into the chair after a moment, face turned away and a little red.

Taking a sip, careful this time of her tongue, she let the heat and caffeine sink into her blood. The cereal was picked up and put into the sink, and a box of donuts was set in front of her instead.

"Yahiko grabbed these last night."

"They didn't have any raspberry ones," Yahiko muttered as he reached for the chocolate covered donut.

"We seem to be eating a lot of these."

"I was hungry." Yahiko defended. "It was too early not to have fat and sugar."

"Have you two even slept yet?"

"We took turns." Sano mumbled.

Kaoru was silent long enough to make the boys fidget.

"Why?"

Yahiko stared at her. "What do you mean why?"

"Yahiko…"

He pointed at her. "That… bastard comes in here, strips you down in front of everyone, tosses you into the bathtub, informs us that you have Jineh-f_ucking_-Udo hunting you, and _then just disappears_! And when we try to open your door to check on you, _it won't open!" _

She stared at him. "Bastard?"

"Yeah, the creep who brought you in."

"You didn't know him?"

Yahiko gave her a hard look. "Shit. I haven't seen him before in my life!"

She sat back, feeling weak. He hadn't lied. People didn't recognize him outside of that damn bar. How much magic did that take? Swallowing, she nodded, trying not to show how much that had bothered her. He had told the truth.

Did that mean…

Later. Think about it later.

"So you stayed up all night."

"We took turns," Sano interjected, cutting off Yahiko before he could go on another rampage. "We thought it was best."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

She waved her hand. "For this. For this mess. This is my fault."

Yahiko snorted. "Yeah. Nice and noble and full of shit."

She glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"Taking all the blame for this is just fucking stupid," Yahiko snapped. "Even I know that."

"What he means is, stop being an idiot." Sano suggested.

"But…"

Yahiko pushed away from the table. "I can't deal with this! I am going to take a shower! There will be no hot water when I am finished! Deal with it!"

Kaoru gawked at his back and he stomped off, a string of curses falling from his mouth. She twisted around and stared at Sano.

"What on earth…"

Sano let out a slow breath. "He was worried about you."

As if that explained everything. Except it might.

She blinked. "Oh."

Sano's smile was crooked. "I called Meg. She is going to come over and make sure everything is alright. She said she would bill us for it later."

"I'm fine."

"I don't care."

She shoved away from the table. "I'm going back to bed then."

"Probably good for you," he agreed.

She shook her head and left.

Sometimes, she just didn't understand them.

X

Kaoru was starting to get antsy. She hadn't seen or spoken to Kenshin in over a week. She hadn't gone out much. She told herself it wasn't because she was afraid, that she was terrified of what might happen. It was the fact that she was being watched. She just didn't know if those eyes were friendly. Shadows within shadows, a strange quiet vibration that ran across her mind like muted sound; then there were her dreams…

It was hard to breathe in those dreams. Thick with shadows and bright sparks of fire. A black blade that cut the darkness and eyes like a cat that would watch her knowingly, chased away by the loud, endless laugh that ate at her confidence. The phantom arms that she could almost feel if she leaned just a little further behind her…

She slapped her hands down on the counter in front of her. Yahiko jumped, dropping the controller he had been holding, and Sano looked up from cleaning his gun.

"I'm tired of this."

"It isn't…"

"Safe?" Kaoru grumped, stomping over to the couch and flopping. "I don't care. I'm_ tired of this_. There are people watching the apartment! How is that safe?"

"Oniwabanshu," Yahiko agreed. "I don't know them."

"Why does that matter?"

"It doesn't," Yahiko replied uneasily. "I just don't know them."

She gave him a hard look, but let it go. "Okay."

Starring at the TV for long moments, she finally sighed. "Did Aoshi or … my partner say I couldn't go outside?"

"No." Sano said slowly.

"They probably thought it was common sense." Yahiko said, but it was missing its normal bite. She stuck her tongue out at him and he returned the gesture.

"Okay, fine… here," he tossed her a controller. "You do know how to play, right?"

"Of course!" she growled. Grabbing the bright plastic, she stared at the buttons. "Now… which is for running? Kidding, kidding, _kidding_…"

She was losing terribly when Yahiko suddenly stiffened, eyes shooting to the window.

"Oh fuck…"

"What?"

"The buildings on fire."

Sano jerked up. "You sure?"

"Yes! Shit! We gotta go; it's going to get bad!"

"Fire? Here?" Kaoru asked, baffled when she was jerked off her feet by Sano.

"Shoes!"

"These buildings can go up fast," Yahiko said as he jerked on his shoes. "They're old wood."

"Can't you put it out?" Kaoru asked her voice breathless with her adrenaline.

"They're using an accelerator. Its magic based. I could try, but we would probably burn up first," Yahiko snapped as they moved down the hall. "Take the stairs. We gotta hurry."

"This is why I like the ground floor," Sano hissed.

They clamored down the stairs, footsteps echoing loudly. Screams and smoke were filtering down the stairwell as others raced for safety. They hit the doors to the outside, gasping for clean air.

A hand settled on her shoulder.

"Stick close!" Sano yelled in her ear, the noise of the flames increasing. "This could be a trap!"

She nodded, grabbing onto his arm as they moved through the growing crowd. She froze at the sudden cold, a shiver running across the surface of her mind. Her fingers dug into Sano's skin and he twisted. Before she could warn him, before she could cry out, an arm slid around her waist, a hand settled over her mouth.

Sano's eyes widened in shock, and Yahiko's terrified eyes peered at her from beside him.

A pressure in her mind. Then things went black.

X

Sano stared at the space Kaoru had been in. Stared in disbelief. He was frozen, everyone was frozen. Gritting his teeth, he slowly shifted his weight, working to break whatever Jineh had done. He had taken Kaoru. Kaoru. _Gone_. Just like that. Howling internally, whatever it was that had locked his limbs into ice snapped and he staggered, knocking someone over.

"Yahiko!"

The witch wasn't frozen in anything more than shock. Mage spells didn't stick well to witches.

"He took her!"

"You have to fix the damn fire!"

"_She's fucking gone_!"

He grabbed Yahiko's shoulders and shook. Wide eyes locked onto him and he breathed deeply.

"If you don't stop that damn fire, we're going to smell dead bodies for fucking weeks! Fix it, and then we'll deal with Kaoru."

Yahiko swallowed and then nodded. "Okay."

Sano didn't understand magic. Didn't understand witches or mages or what made them different. His skills were limited. Channeling energy into strikes was easy. What Yahiko had to do to put the fire down was different. Harder. The boy had been turned away by his teachers because of his stubbornness and unwillingness to bend on his own personal honor. There was a great deal of strength in Yahiko that had been untrained for too long. He didn't have the training for this, yet they had to try. He could probably do it, the way his emotions were stressed right now. That always did something to witches.

The boy was muttering under his breath, hands held away from his body. They were glowing, and his hair was twisting around itself. Sano wanted to reach over and steady him, but the last time he had done that, he had almost lost his hand.

The sounds of the fire died. They didn't fade, they died. Went out. Yahiko staggered backward, face lacking any color. His eyes were black with strain and his lips pressed in a hard line. Sano reached out and caught him.

"A little slower next time, brat."

"Shut up," he said weakly. "I can't feel the Oniwabanshu."

Sano frowned, looking around as people slowly started to twitch. "_Shit_. I hope they're not following Jineh."

"He'll kill them," Yahiko agreed, leaning against him. "He doesn't need them to tell Shinomori. There are enough witnesses."

"I don't think those were Shinomori's men." Sano said grimly. "They wouldn't have gotten close. We need to get word to Misao."

"Yeah, but where the hell is she?"

"Where she always is; watching the shadows for Shinomori."

X

Kaoru woke up cold. She was on a floor and it was wet. Shifting a little, she bit her cheek to keep from gagging at the heavy metallic scent. Moving carefully, she slowly sat up; jerking her shoulder up to wipe her cheek.

Blood. The floor was covered in blood. Her stomach rolled and she leaned over, dry heaving. Her eyes watered with the force of her retching, and she shook. It took several moments to calm down enough that she didn't burst into hysterics. She was covered in blood. Screams welled in her throat and she bit her cheek hard. She would not panic.

The door slammed open. She froze at the sound of footsteps and the sound of sloshing.

"Pretty little sparrow is awake."

A shadow fell over her form, and a hand fisted in what was left of her ponytail, jerking her eyes back.

"Mine to play with. Mine. Mine. _He_ thought he would get you."

She couldn't look away from the strange glowing eyes.

"Oh yes. He wanted to play with you first… but this is fun! I get to hunt the hunter!" The hand twisted tighter. He leaned forward, dragging his nose along her temple. "Screaming. Screaming inside your head."

Her body was frozen and cold, jagged spikes of pain rolling through her mind with each crashing vibration in her body. She wanted to scream. He laughed, shifting and dragging her across the slick floor by her hair.

"Oh yes. Scream. Make him angry. Never so much fun unless he is angry. I'll lock you in my prison and then you'll scream for _me_." He giggled; a high, broken sound.

"_Scream for me_."

* * *

_**Please Comment.**_


	5. Chapter 5

Well, here is the last chapter of Blue Moon!

Ravyn

Warning: Violence. Death. So on.

**Revised 3/5/10

* * *

**

Sano felt raw and Yahiko didn't look much better. Misao had been easy to find; she had been looking for them. There had been an expression in her eyes that had stilled any frantic explanations. Instead, they had piled into her SUV and driven to the bar. Sano hadn't been sure why she had taken them there, but Shinomori had been waiting for them. Once inside, he had taken them straight to a room Sano had never seen before.

"He is on his way."

Who was on his way? Looking over at the shorter woman, he frowned at her.

Misao simply shook her head. "We wait."

It took a second for him to realize who they were talking about. Kaoru's partner. Fists clenching together until his knuckles turned white, Sano bit his tongue. He wanted to demand answers, wanted to know who the man was, why he hadn't been there to protect her. He felt sick and furious and needed something to direct that anger at. _Someone_. Closing his eyes to try to control himself, his head snapped up at the sound of the sliding panel slamming along the track. Kenshin Himura stood in the doorway, eyes bright as he took in who was in the office.

"Where is she?"

There was a strange note in the normally docile man's voice: hard… _cold_.

"Jineh took her."

The air had changed, becoming thicker, tightening until it was hard to inhale. Himura's scar was vivid against his cheek as he stared at Shinomori. Why was he here? What good was Himura, now? The redheaded man suddenly shifted, a low hiss snaking out between his clenched teeth. The fire snapped and wavered before going out and the room felt alive. When Himura lifted his eyes, they were hot and yellow. He took a step into the room before he spoke, his voice ragged.

"_Where_ is she?"

"We don't know." Misao said when no one else could get the words to shake free of their throats. The furious gaze was moved from Shinomori to the shorter woman, but she held his eyes.

"The boy can find her."

Every eye in the room snapped to Yahiko.

"He has a student-teacher bond with her. He can locate her." Shinomori said.

Yahiko's pale face was strained. "I haven't been trained."

"Tsubame can act as the catalyst," Misao said firmly. "She has the gift for it. Between the two of them they should be able to locate her."

"He will need a map," Himura said.

Yahiko looked bewildered. "But…"

"Hush," Misao whispered as she walked by, eyes cutting to Himura. "You're the only chance we have to find her before Jineh breaks her."

"But what will a map do?" Yahiko asked. "I _don't have_ the training for this!"

"A map will allow you to visualize where you are hunting," Himura said. "You should be able to use it the way a seer uses a bowl of water."

Yahiko swallowed. "I don't have any strength left from the fire."

"Tsubame will handle that." Shinomori said as he tacked a map down on the desk. By the time Tsubame had arrived, it was covered in stick pins.

"Jineh likes to be near the bloodshed," Misao explained, her voice tight. "We have been searching here, and here, but have yet to locate him."

Tsubame nodded; her little face pale. "If you will place your hand on the map, Yahiko, I will boost what power you have left. You'll have to use your air talent." Yahiko swallowed and nodded.

"Just think about Kaoru."

The air smelled heavy, like walking through a thick fog and Sano winced. Air magic wasn't Yahiko's best skill. He could feel the strain Yahiko and Tsubame were putting on each other, the way Yahiko's hand trembled, but he didn't pant or sway. Just stood there stubbornly, jaw clenched, eyes shut.

"There." He said faintly. The air cleared as he staggered into Misao's side. If Aoshi hadn't reached over, they would have both hit the floor. Tsubame just folded her legs under her and breathed deeply.

"Warehouses. Blood."

"The old slaughterhouse maybe," Misao murmured softly, looking at Aoshi. "We didn't look there because of the ward."

Aoshi was silent before he nodded slowly. "Yes… but that brings another question to mind."

"Who broke the ward?" Misao whispered.

"I am going after Jineh." Himura said flatly. "Keep these two out of trouble."

Sano opened his mouth and shut it. He didn't have what it took to deal with Jineh. He watched as the redhead stalked to the door, pausing a moment before turning.

"If your uncle isn't dead by the time my business is finished, Aoshi, I'll take his soul apart."

"Uncle?" Sano managed, his lips feeling stiff. "What does Himura have to do with Kaoru?"

Misao sighed, a long, heavy sound. "We need food and _brandy_. Then we'll talk."

X

She woke up with her fingers curled into a fist, pressed against the straining beats of her heart. She didn't open her eyes. She didn't want to know where she was or what was causing the smell of rotting meat to mingle with the stench of human flesh. Her mouth tasted like stomach acid.

It was so cold.

She _couldn't' move_.

Her entire body felt stiff, wrong. Her joints were locked into place and no matter how hard she tried, they wouldn't bend. Even thinking was difficult. Beyond the slow, crawling pain in her limbs, there was a loud noise banging in her eardrums.

Jineh. She wanted to scream, to scream and scream and _scream_. Her throat felt raw. The sound of her own breathing echoed back into her mind, burning along the ragged paths that were left from whatever he had done to her. She trembled at the memory, how she had felt each layer of her mind bend and buckle under that frozen, disjoined touch. The way his laughter had sunk into her chest and burned where it had settled. He hadn't touched her, hadn't needed to, and not with the way those spells had eaten away at her defenses. Before she had broken, before he had torn away the last of her internal walls, something hot had pushed him away. Had broken his grip. But only for that moment. He would be back.

The echo of uneven footsteps moving down the hall terrified her. She curled as deep into her mind as she could. He would try to break her again. Try to pull her inner walls apart and leave her bare against whatever he did to his victims.

He would use her as bait and use her pain to cut _him_.

Kenshin. He was using her as bait for Kenshin. He wanted to _hurt_ Kenshin.

Dragging up the last of her stubbornness, she retreated. Threw herself into that cold, dark place that had sheltered her before, when she had suffered from his attack at the apartments. She wouldn't be used, not as a toy for an insane man. If he couldn't find her, he couldn't break her. She could feel the wrongness of retreating, could almost hear that faint, terrified voice from before – _snap out of it_!- but she just curled in tighter.

You couldn't break what you couldn't find.

X

Kenshin was _angry_. It ate at him, twisted his insides around until they formed one hot, acidic knot in his middle. The blade at his hip sang to him, calling him to give death. His thumb moved over the hilt slowly, even as the fingers gripped with a white knuckled intensity.

He was _hunting_.

Rage was a living thing inside him, churning with his magic and blending in with his _chi _until he couldn't taste the end of the beginning. He could feel the darkness clinging to him, could feel the way it trembled beneath his hand, demanding its payment for its service, demanded the ice it had already tasted. It called for blood. He would take Jineh's soul apart, rip it from his body and twist it into a scattered wraith and then, only when those screams darkened into agonized pulses of sound, just enough to still be alive… Only then would he feed that soul to the darkness that bent to his will.

Jineh had forgotten. Oh, what Jineh had forgotten. The dark song was a sweet, haunting call that Kenshin knew well, that he had always answered. His black blade was a sign of his sins and a promise of the sins to come. Jineh had turned his back on his oaths; let them twist him into something not human. Until it was him, not his blade that fed on the blood and souls of those he touched; Jineh needed the slow deaths, the pain, to survive. To satisfy the emptiness of what had once been his own soul. Jineh craved the pain and blood of his foes and Kenshin could give it to him. He would soak the floor in it, would twist him up in it and would listen to his screams as he was ripped apart.

He had dared to touch _her_. Had dared to _look_ _at her_. Jineh had chosen his bait and now he would deal with the consequences. When this was over, when Kaoru was in his bed and sleeping, protected by magic even Aoshi dared not touch…

Then he would see who else had forgotten the call of darkness and remind them.

X

The old slaughterhouse had been shut down for years, too dangerous for anyone partially sensitive. Too much blood, too much tainted power for even Kenshin to be comfortable; so when the mob had taken this half of the city, they had warded it. Very few could have cracked the ward that protected this place from magic. Jineh did not have that talent.

A puzzle for another night; not when he could taste the fouled magic, could feel the way it was brushing him and his sword. A spark of his own magic banished the shadows. He wasn't interested in those games tonight. Looking around, his eyes narrowed at a sudden laugh.

Jineh.

Teeth clenched hard enough to crack, Kenshin moved into the remains of the building. The residue of fear pulled at his senses, both animal and human… _Kaoru_. He could taste her, feel the way her screams had echoed off the walls and his rage went cold. So very cold. Lifting his lips into a silent snarl, he unsheathed his blade.

"I broke my little toy. _Broke_. Shattered under my mind. So very fragile."

"You lie."

"She screamed for me… screamed. _Screamed_ in her little prison."

Because he could still feel her screams in the walls, her terror, he bit his cheek until he bled. The sword in his hand darkened, the kanji glowing hotly. So Jineh wanted to play. The sword came from his right. Twisting his blade around it, he let it hit the flesh of Jineh's neck. A slow bleeding cut. He would take Jineh piece by piece and savor it.

"You lie." Kenshin returned. "Your games won't work with me."

So easy to duck under his defenses, so let his sword drink another sip of that black, broken soul, to feel the way Jineh screamed inside. The way _he_ broke.

"So fun!" Jineh crowed, ducking away, eyes glittering strangely. "So angry. Are you angry yet?"

Kenshin shifted his stance, feeling the way his sword called to the shadows, demanded their obedience in this one thing.

"Where is she?"

"Dead. Broke. I broke her!"

Kenshin snarled and Jineh blocked his blow, his laugh high and mad.

"I win! He thought _he_ would win! Thought he would get to taste your rage! It is mine! Her screams and your rage are mine! He can't have her!"

Kenshin took another piece of his soul, shoving his sword through his gut and wrenching, knowing that with this much blood magic it wouldn't even faze him. A dagger cut the air near his neck. He… someone other than Jineh. However, Kaoru, _his Kaoru_, was not broken. He would know. He would taste that shattering of her core in the walls. He felt only her screams.

"Such lies," he murmured, shaking the blood off his sword. It hissed against the ground, sparking for a moment. It took a moment for him to think through his rage, to recognize the danger of that movement and then he stepped back, eyes narrowing.

Jineh launched at him, eyes wild.

Kenshin shoved his sword back in his sheath, dodged the attack and slipped into his favorite stance. The next time Jineh lunged, Kenshin took his head. The body hit the floor, and the scent of charged flesh rolled up to Kenshin's nose. Sheathing his glowing blade, he stared down at the floor.

"How clever." His mouth slowly curved. "I think that fate is almost worth your soul, Jineh."

It took time he didn't have to find the spells. They were bound with her screams. His fists clenched until he drew blood. If he had let Jineh bleed the way his anger demanded, he would have opened a gate; a gate bound with Kaoru's screams and his own anger. Jineh would have let them all be pulled into that hell, uncaring about his own soul.

Shadows brushed at him, dangerously tempting when he was this angry. They wanted the rest of Jineh's soul. His sword wanted more. Ripping it from the sheath, he cut through those haunting touches, his snarl filling the room.

No… he would leave Jineh to the gate. It was easy enough to take off the sealing spell, to let Jineh bleed the gate open. Aoshi was hovering on the edges of his senses, waiting to mend the ward. By the time the gate opened, the ward would be in place and Kaoru…

No, he had spent enough time and now it was time to find Kaoru.

X

Someone was calling her from the darkness. The call was softer than Jineh, the sensation of soft fur rubbing against her soul instead of harsh scales and madness. She didn't want to go. It was safer _here_, in the dark… Yet, no matter how hard she dug into the darkness something kept pulling her up, pulling her away from the cold safety of her own mind. Screaming in terror, fighting with those warm, soft pulls, she gasped painfully when oxygen hit her lungs.

"I have her."

The voice was female and so very weak against the ringing in her ears. She struggled in the grip holding her, weak, frantic sounds in her ears.

"You _will_ hold her."

She froze, hot relief welling in her chest. She knew that voice; knew that commanding tone.

"She needs to warm up. I suggest a hot bath; spells would be too harsh right now." There was a hesitation. "She needs someone to anchor her."

Meg… Megumi. That was who called her. Feeling like she was floating, she gave up on whatever fight she had and sank into a different kind of darkness.

X

Kenshin looked up, eyes still hot. They were outside the warehouse. He hadn't dared take her back to his place, not when her lips had been so blue, her heart hardly beating under his hand as he forced her to live. Misao had arrived moments after he left the building, dragging a flustered Megumi with her.

"I will take her, Megumi."

She looked up, her normal bluster gone from her eyes. "Is that wise?"

"The blade will not hurt her."

"Your soul is…"

"Is enough. I _will_ hold her."

Uncertainty flickered across her face before her mouth hardened.

"I have broken the soul chains. He didn't damage her, although he came close. She will need to be carefully warded until her gift recovers from this. Its… wild, changed. It will react violently to anyone it doesn't know."

"I understand."

There was a sudden loud, cracking noise and the building behind him rattled dangerously. Kenshin looked way from Kaoru long enough to see Misao's uncle's body fall lifelessly to the hard cement. Satisfaction curled the edges of his mouth. Aoshi had decided the best way to mend the ward was with a soul spell.

It was fitting.

Reaching down, he picked Kaoru up and ignored the way blood clung to every line of her body, matted her hair. Her breathing was even, and her skin was no longer so cold it burned to touch her.

"She is mine, Megumi. I will hold her."

Turning, he melted into the darkness.

X

Wet heat beat down on her back and shoulders, forcing her back into awareness. Gasping a little at the unfamiliar sensations, Kaoru blinked her eyes open and tried to focus. Something was holding her limp body up and the dark gray tile told her she was somewhere new. Shower. A hot shower, to wash off the blood. She shuddered, curling a little and the grip on her body changed.

"It's alright. He isn't here, Kaoru."

His voice sounded a little funny with her ear to his shoulder, but she blinked past the water and lifted her head. Kenshin. His hair was damp and his lashes held little beads of water, but he seemed unconcerned as he continued to hold her under the spray. She didn't know what to say, so she just stared at him, trying not to feel lost.

"Welcome back."

She swallowed and then tried to speak. Her voice was gravelly and her throat felt raw, but the words were no longer stuck in her throat.

"Where are we?"

"I brought you to my place. You need quiet and rest, and you weren't going to get it with the other two watching you." A contemplative expression crossed his face. "If I leave you to put together tea and a light meal, will you be alright?"

She stared at him. Would she be alright? She didn't know. Was that sort of thing possible after what had happened? Was it alright to say yes when she didn't know if 'no' was the right answer? He must have read some of it in her face because the hand that had been in the middle of her spine shifted to her cheek.

"I can stay."

Stay. She almost nodded, but stopped. Her brain was slowly catching up with the rest of her, and it was reminding her that they were both naked. Under her hands there was damp skin over hard muscle, and she was pressed up against him in a very personal way. _With nothing on. _She didn't have the energy to blush, so instead, she shook her head. She didn't want to say she was fine, but she didn't think she would be able to look him in the face ever again if he didn't put some clothes on.

"Alright. Stay as long as you like." His eyes cut to her right. "There is a bar of soap and shampoo to wash your hair." His finger tilted her chin. "If you need anything…"

"Thank you." Her voice sounded rougher than before.

He nodded and stepped back, grasping her elbows as he steadied her. Once she had her feet, he moved back the glass doors and then shut them. She waited until the door to the bathroom shut before sinking into a heap in the middle of the shower. Reaching over to the water, she turned up the heat, wrapped her arms around her middle and tried not the throw up.

She forced her mind away from the events of earlier, away from the blood. She was thankful that he had dragged her into the shower before she was awake enough to realize how much blood she had been covered in. The water was clear as it ran off her skin and hair and she pressed her forehead against her knee.

If she was with Kenshin, odds were Jineh was dead. Which meant all she had to do was pick up the pieces. Reaching up to shove her bangs out of her face, she breathed deeply and concentrated on the feel of the hot water. The longer she sat under the water, forcing herself through meditation, the better she felt. The more her skin felt like her own again. It took some time for the heat to reach her bones, but she had stopped shaking when she finally reached for the bar of soap. It helped that she could feel Kenshin. She didn't know what Jineh had done to her, what the consequences of those actions were going to be, but she could _feel_ Kenshin. Feel the slow, vibrating heat of him against her skin and in her chest; places that had felt hollow and empty once Jineh had finished with her.

It helped.

There wasn't dirt that she could see, but she still scrubbed herself almost raw. Her scalp burned a little from the force of her nails. The faint noises in the kitchen helped steady her, even if the shower drowned most of them out. She had a bad moment when she saw the bruises on her legs, and she had shook hard enough rattle her teeth and sent her trying to scramble back into that cold, welcoming darkness. Except there had been something warm wrapped around those blank edges of her mind, catching and holding her as she shook.

The water was still warm when she pushed herself to her feet and out of the bath. Bruised fingers found a soft towel. Ringing out her hair, she grabbed a second towel and went to work on herself. Once she was as dry as she was going to get, she reached for the pile of soft, ginger smelling clothes that had been left for her. She didn't want to think about her other clothes. She hoped he burned them. Taking a deep breath, she tried to center herself and headed out of the bathroom.

She could smell the herbs before she saw Kenshin. There was a teapot resting on the stove, with little tendrils of steam wafting up from the spout. He turned before she thought she made a noise, eyes running over her before some tension eased in his shoulders. Her bottom lip trembled when she realized he had dragged the recliner into the dining room. There was a blanket waiting on her and she breathed deeply.

"Your tea is almost finished." He studied her. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. Food would make her ill. _Thinking_ about food made her ill.

"Alright." He said, moving away from her find a mug. Once she was settled and cradling the hot drink, he returned to what he had been doing. He was chopping what looked liked vegetables and wondered what he was cooking. Curling her legs up under her, she watched him, trying to decide why it soothed the lingering fear in her chest.

There was something… compelling about watching a man like Kenshin move. Even tense and obviously still riled about what he had done, there was a precision, a certain grace that even stiff shoulders and his internal agitation couldn't completely erase. Wrapped in the blanket, tea in her hands, Kaoru dropped her guard and just allowed herself to look.

Muscles shifted and rolled under tan skin, slender fingers moved with skill. She had to fight the sudden urge to stand up and bury her nose between his shoulder blades or to tangle her fingers in that bright fall of hair. She wanted to be afraid that he was able to comfort her with his presence. She had told herself the attraction wasn't mutual. That no matter what he did with his mouth, there was more to a relationship than lust.

Putting her mug on the table, she studied her hands instead of his back. It was getting harder to hide behind that shield. Because she did feel something for the redhead; more than just safety, more than the knowledge that if he was here, she was safe. She didn't know if it was shock or the desperate need for human touch after her ordeal, but there it was. Closing her eyes, she let the familiar sounds lull her to sleep.

Her eyes snapped open and she jerked in alarm, screaming in panic when a male voice swore so close to hear ear. Twisting around, she gasped as her head crashed into something. The material wrapped around her kept her from fighting, and instead she flung herself to the side. They hit the floor with a thud. He had been carrying her. The air was knocked from her lungs and she struggled to breathe as a weight settled over her. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she desperately tried to breathe. Scream.

"Kaoru."

She stilled at the sound of Kenshin's voice. The panic died in her chest and she gulped air before cracking her eyes open. His body had her neatly pinned inside what she recognized as the blanket she had fallen asleep in and his fingers were holding her wrists firmly.

"Alright?"

She shut her eyes again and nodded. "I'm sorry."

A thumb brushed the corner of her eye. "Why?"

She worked up the courage to open her eyes again. That thick gloss around her mind, almost like honey, was comforting.

"I think I head butted you." She whispered.

"I'll survive." He returned, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She stared at his eyes, a curious mix of gold and violet, and decided that no matter how uncertain she was about where things stood between them, she didn't want to face these nightmares alone. Wiggling one arm free, she wrapped it around his waist, the crease where his shirt and pants bared his skin. He stiffed a little in surprise when she tugged him down, pressing her nose against his shoulder.

"I don't want to be scared." She whispered. Relief was heady as she finally admitted that she was terrified of herself now. His arm slipped under her neck, the other arm hooking around her waist.

"I know."

"I don't understand why he did any of it."

There was a long pause. "Madness doesn't always need a reason, Kaoru. It just is."

"He…" she took a very deep breath. "He said he was working for someone."

The muscles under her hands bunched and twisted. She found herself starring at those eyes again. "Did he say who?"

"No… just… just that I was…" her words died and she swallowed, shaking her head.

"Aoshi is looking into it."

"Aoshi knew?"

Kenshin's jaw worked for a moment. "Jineh also gloated to me that there was someone else."

"Someone else knows what I can do," she whispered, pressing her fingers into his hip. "He kidnapped me for someone else… that means… what am I going to do? I'm a danger to them."

Them. Sano and Yahiko.

He brushed her bangs from her eyes. "I'm afraid that can't be helped now. Cutting them out of your life won't change that, Kaoru."

"I want it to." She whispered, pressing up against his body again, not wanting to see his face. His muscles shifted along his back and she tightened her grip. His breath exhaled, ghosting down the back of her neck and across her collarbones.

"This is becoming a habit."

"It's easier when I don't have to look at you." She mumbled. "I don't know what to say when you're watching me."

Fingers stroked down the side of her neck. "Why?"

"I don't know what to do about you." She whispered.

She could hear the smile in his voice. "I can think of several things."

She dug her nail into his hipbone. "Be _serious_."

He was teasing? Now, after a madman had been sent to hunt her? After someone could be trying to kill her friends _right now_?

"I am," he informed her, this time managing to push up to stare at her. "I'm always serious about us, Kaoru."

She reached up and thumped him in the forehead. "Stop that."

He frowned at her. "What?"

"Looking like you want to kiss me," she shot back, feeling desperate. He quirked a brow and she gulped air. "You can't look at me like that."

His fingers left her neck to trace patterns across her collarbones. The heat of his thumb feathered against the hollow of her throat. She swallowed as she felt her heart rate speed up.

"Perhaps," his tone had dropped into that mellow droll that had her hand forming a fist in his t-shirt. "You would prefer me to just kiss you?"

She licked her lips. "I don't know."

The edge of his brow kicked up in a silent demand.

"When you're looking at me like that, I can at least run. When you're kissing me, I forget…"

Her words were lost in the press of his lips. He groaned into her mouth when she bit his bottom lip, his hand slipping behind her head to cradle her skull in his palm. When he finally pulled back, it was hard to concentrate over the pounding of her heart and that rolling purr that washed over her. Blinking up at him, her throat ran dry. He leaned forward, and she shivered as his breath ghosted along the sensitive shell of her ear.

"If you keep looking at _me_ like that," he whispered, teeth catching the edge of her earlobe, releasing only after she gasped. "Then neither of us is going to be getting much sleep tonight."

She hesitated, watching his eyes. "I don't…"

His fingers worked their way free of her hair and slid up to touch her mouth, stopping her words.

"I know."

"I mean," she tried again, mumbling around his fingers. She needed to explain… maybe to herself and maybe to him, but he simply increased the pressure of his fingers.

"Kaoru," he interrupted. "I know."

"Oh."

His thumb stroked her bottom lip. "Things will be alright. They always are."

"Not always," she corrected, lips trembling.

The edge of his mouth curved a little. "With us, they will be."

"That's awfully arrogant," she informed him, trying to ignore the way her heart was pounding at the way he had spoken. Like a vow, an oath.

He shrugged, sitting up in one motion. "Perhaps, but I don't care. You here, now, and mine; I don't let go of what is mine, Kaoru."

Her mouth ran dry at the promise in his voice and eyes. He believed every word, and the knowledge that he would fight for that promise had her stomach rolling with butterflies. What did it mean when a man looked at you with those eyes and made those promises? When they came from a man who had yet to find a barrier he couldn't break? Who carried a black blade with a feral smile and touched her with those fingers in ways that made her heart pound? Yet, he hadn't touched her at all, not really.

There was a strange mix of thrill and terror at the realization that he would show her, whether she wanted it or not. He would teach her how he kept his promises. That he was going to bring her even deeper into his crazy, insane world. When he reached to pick her up, to carry her back to his room, she leaned into his neck and breathed deeply. Maybe she could do this. At least, she could let him carry her. For now.

X

"How is she?"

"Sleeping," Kenshin responded, voice tight as he cradled the phone against his cheek.

"There are only a few mage's who had enough power to tempt Jineh into working for them and fewer still who have power enough to break a ward."

"_He_ is supposed to be dead."

Aoshi's response was neutral. "That is what we were told. Hannah is looking into it, but there are only so many places a ghost can travel."

"He was cursed," Kenshin reminded him. "If he survived that as well as the fire, then there are going to be complications."

"If we can trust Jineh's mad ramblings about someone else," Aoshi's tone was ice. "Then we must also assume that everything that has occurred from the beginning has been an attempt to gain possession of your partner. We are looking at Hiruma's death."

Kenshin gripped the edge of his desk, knuckles turning white with strain. His voice was a low snarl when he finally spoke again.

"_She is_ _mine_."

"The spells you ordered are complete."

Some of the tension eased in his shoulders. "When will they be delivered?"

"Tomorrow."

"Good."

"You are sure this is the path you wish to take?"

"Yes."

"The girl agrees?"

"She will."

There was a long silence and then the sound of papers being shuffled. "I have upgraded the security on the witch and the enforcer. They will be moved further into Old Kyoto as soon as something opens."

"I shall let Kaoru know."

"If that is all?"

"It is."

Kenshin set the phone down after a dial tone met his ears. Shishio Makato. If it was true that someone had covered up the failure of killing that particular mage… He should let Aoshi handle it. There were other things he needed to prepare for.

Except… there was someone who would know… at the very least, would know who to start killing to find the answers he wanted. Someone Aoshi wouldn't consider contacting until much, much later. Taking a calming breath, he reached for the phone again and punched in a few numbers.

"What?"

"Shishou, I need a favor…"

To clear a few things up – **Yes, this is the end of this particular story.** Yes, I know, I left it hanging and it is really, really wrong of me. But this is where the muse ended. Do I plan on writing more to this, making it into something like a series? That is entirely possible if I can get my muse to let me write more on it. It would be a follow up of some sort. No idea if it would be a one shot or a chapter fic. I'll do my best to do something but nothing is currently in the works.

* * *

_**Please Comment. **_


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